A Nightmare On Elm Street: Harvest of Souls
by FaItHzAnGeL
Summary: Springwood has been reconfigured and made anew, along with it a new breed of Kids for freddy to play with, please R&R. The story has been split into five parts rather than the one lump it was to swallow.
1. Default Chapter

A Nightmare on Elm Street: Harvest of Souls  
  
Prologue  
  
By: Fernando Rangel  
  
  
  
This was ridiculous.  
  
Chris walked past his parents and went inside the house. They had to move away from L.A. for this, a simple little town with a mediocre existence? So what if it had been revamped the past few years, it was still a no nothing town. Chris looked at the white house, with its green roof, and the red little door; it made him sick. What did I do to deserve this?  
  
He walked into the house and set his things down. As he walked back out, he spied some kids gawking at him and pointing at his house.  
  
"Great, even the locals hate it. Whoopee!"  
  
He went back inside, "Mom, dad! Can I go talk to those kids outside?" He looked at them strangely, "Um.right, ok I'm going to take that as a yes." He watched as they continued to just stand and watch him leave as though it were "Leave it to Beaver" time.  
  
As soon as he walked out, he saw the kids were gone. He walked down the sidewalk and suddenly felt very cold. He walked down the street and looked both ways when he heard light humming, "What the fuck?" He swung around and jumped back when he saw the little girl. "God kid, you scared me."  
  
The little girl giggled, "Sowwy."  
  
"It's ok." He looked at her. "What are you doing here kid? This is my home now."  
  
The girl giggled once more. Chris was getting annoyed. He sighed a big sigh and said, "So what's your name kid?"  
  
She gave him a big smile and said, "Debbie."  
  
"That's a pretty name." He said trying to be nice.  
  
"What are you doing here?" He asked the girl, who sat on her knees drawing on the sidewalk with her jump rope by her side.  
  
"Waiting for Freddy."  
  
"Is he your brother or something?"  
  
She giggled again.  
  
Then the rain began to drip, the sky darkened, began to thunder and cackle, then the girl disappeared. "Fuck me," he said and ran to the front of his door.it looked different. However, he couldn't think about that right now, right now it was about being dry.  
  
As soon as he was inside, he noticed his parents were gone. "That's weird. Mom! Dad!" He ran up a few steps and called again, nothing. He turned back around and quickly exclaimed, "Well so much for family time." He smiled evilly, "Oh what a shame."  
  
He ran into the kitchen and an odious stench permeated through the room. "What the hell is that?" He said as he put the back of his wrist to his nose and tried to breathe.  
  
He walked towards the refrigerator, and placed his hand on the lever when he noticed how sticky and warm it felt. He let go and on his hand, he saw red thick blood, which began shaking at the sight of the crimson fiend that he now noticed dripped onto the floor, seeping through the crack of the refrigerator door.  
  
What the hell is going on, he thought, if this is a joke, it's seriously not funny.  
  
He cautiously opened the refrigerator door and let out a yelp. His father dwelled within the refrigerator.bits and pieces.a leg in the fruit basket.a hand in the butter compartment.his head on the main food tray, garnished with cabbage and tomatoes, cauliflower, and as a finishing touch, an apple was stuffed in his father's mouth as it sat on a silver platter. Chris backed away slowly, covering his mouth with his un-blooded hand and tried hard not to scream.  
  
He ran to the door saying, "Oh shit," and tried to run out the door, but he was lead back to the living room. "Ok," he turned around.no way out."  
  
He walked upstairs and turned into his room, maybe there was a way out there.  
  
He walked through and found himself in a boiler room. He walked on; sweat was all over his body, whereas a minute ago, he had been freezing. He walked through chains and he looked down-he was in his pajamas. "What the.."  
  
Suddenly a big bang came from the other side of the room and he jumped. He cautiously walked on, his bare feet hurting with every step.  
  
"Chris." a light voice cried out in a taunting tone.  
  
He whipped around, no one.  
  
He walked on.he heard screeching.and his name was called again, only this time followed with a chuckle that compared to a sucking chest wound. He tried his hardest to stay together, but a guy could only take so much.  
  
"Hello." he called out, "is someone there?"  
  
No one replied and he relaxed, stepping back, until he suddenly stepped onto someone's toe.  
  
He froze.  
  
The hidden assailant grabbed the back of Chris's neck and licked his cheek, "Let's play."  
  
Suddenly Chris heard the flick of the man's glove that had knives for fingers. Horrible burns covered the man's face. He wore a dirty green and red sweater, and a dusty brown hat.  
  
As the man's glove came closer to his stomach.all the while he was screaming and trying to wiggle away he managed to yell, "Who the fuck are you, you son of a bitch?"  
  
"Your worst nightmare," the burned man declared chuckling as his words lingered in the air, and suddenly Chris abruptly woke up.  
  
Chris's breathing was heavy and hard; sweat riddled his body causing his sheets to become drenched and soaked. His mother rushed in with worry, "Honey.honey, what's wrong?"  
  
"Nothing," he said. "Nothing.just a bad dream."  
  
She stared at him in surprise and gave him a stern, yet horrified look.  
  
"I know, mom, I know. You don't have to tell me. I'm sorry I didn't do it."  
  
"Just don't forget to." She smiled at him and said, "Will you be ok?"  
  
"Yeah. Promise."  
  
She nodded and sighed in relief, "Good, then maybe we can get a good night's rest, one of us has school tomorrow." Chris cringed, Oh yay, he thought as he watched him mother stand up and leave, zigzagging through the maze of boxes. 


	2. New Beginnings

A Nightmare on Elm Street: Harvest of Souls  
  
New Beginnings.  
  
By: Fernando Rangel  
  
The spring day shone brightly, and the fresh air was bittersweet. God, what is it about this town, Chris thought. He watched as students went to and from the quad, and watched the "happy people" joke and smile.  
  
Oh yea, he was going to have fun in such a happy place.  
  
He never understood why people were always.happy and sister sunshineish. It was like a Stepford Town. He didn't like this place; there was just something about it, call it aura, or call it karma who the hell knew, he just knew he didn't like this place; especially the school.  
  
Chris hiked up the steps of Springwood High School and watched as everyone stared at him. "I hate being new."  
  
"It gets easier," someone replied from behind.  
  
"Excuse me?" Chris turned around and looked to the new comer. The mystery voice walked toward him wearing blue jeans, a yellow T-shirt, with a black shirt over it, as well as black leather boots, and jacket. His hair was black and blue, and on his face, he wore a nose and brow ring.  
  
"What gets easier?"  
  
"The staring," he said with a chuckle. "As you can see, I get lots of it."  
  
"Yeah, but your sense of style is impeccable."  
  
The two laughed and hugged a bit. "So how's my little cousin handling being the new guy?"  
  
Chris punched him in the arm lightly, "Why George Randall, do I sense mockery in your voice?"  
  
"But of course," he said in the fakest French accent.  
  
"I see you still are the same drama queen. So what's the what here at this poor excuse for a school?"  
  
George laughed. "Dude, don't call me George. It's Spike fucker, learn to deal with it."  
  
"First off, you're avoiding the question, and secondly, I'll call you whatever the hell I damn well please. I've known you since diaper days, I'm entitled to embarrassing you in front of your friends.George." He smirked.  
  
"Fine, but when I kick your ass don't go cryin' to mama. You hear?"  
  
"Duly noted. So what are the inner workings of the school?"  
  
Spike sighed, "Be careful. People are vicious here."  
  
Chris laughed. "People here? Vicious?"  
  
Spike looked at him sincerely, "They're into making fun of new kid. And people who are.different." He looked away.  
  
"God kid what's wrong?"  
  
"You mean your parents didn't tell you?"  
  
"Tell me what?"  
  
Great the kid doesn't know the town history, he thought.  
  
"N-nothing."  
  
"No, you have something face."  
  
Fuck what to say, he thought. Finally, he said, "Just that a couple of new kids were badly hurt because they were new."  
  
"Ok," Chris replied a bit confused, "well whatever. Anything else?"  
  
"Well looky here. A new guy. With the riffraff. How quaint."  
  
"What the." Chris spun around to see a tall guy, a football jock wearing jeans and his letterman jacket.  
  
"Eric come on, let's just leave this one alone. Sorry." The girl next to him replied as she dragged him off to class.  
  
"Stay away from them," Spike quickly added when they were gone.  
  
"Who are they?"  
  
"Founders of 'Make Fun of the New Kid' Club."  
  
"Who are they." Chris said flatly and looked at him.  
  
"Eric "THE A-BOMB" Stutzman, and his girlfriend Karen Jennings."  
  
They walked on, but Eric snuck a look back at Spike and Chris, and then back at Spike who looked away and tugged Chris into their first class.  
  
* * * * *  
  
She walked through the long corridor of the house.  
  
The darkened light and the stillness of the air crippled her with fear.  
  
It was quiet.  
  
A little too quiet.  
  
Broken mirrors riddled the crimson walls.  
  
Suddenly a sharp and excruciating pain filled her leg, and she fell back as she cried out withering in pain.  
  
Erika felt her foot lightly and pulled out a large shard of glass. Once she was able to withdraw the shard she limped out of the corridor.  
  
As she limped through the labyrinth, she heard chuckling each time it grew closer and screeching like nails on a chalkboard began to fill her ears. Suddenly she found herself running despite the pain coursing through her leg.  
  
She stopped to catch her breath and looked back.  
  
All of a sudden, a hand grabbed her by the neck and lifted her up into the air, her feet dangling as blood dripped from her wounded foot.  
  
The burned man looked into her eyes and grinned evilly.  
  
"No," was all she managed to utter as the man continued to grin.  
  
Without warning, the scenery changed, and bright white filled the room.  
  
A long, thin, black walkway strip ran from wall to wall.  
  
He held her over the edge.  
  
Erika couldn't look down, she was too afraid because she knew these few moments would be her last. She gripped the man's arms, yelling in hysterics, "No! Please! Oh Please God!"  
  
"He can't help." She heard the man shout as he continued smirking and he let go, but she continued to hold onto his sleeves and grip his arm.  
  
He extended his clawed hand and slashed the girl's face.  
  
She freed him as the blood spilled and splattered onto his hands.  
  
He watched as she screamed and he watched her descend and slam into large shards of broken glass. He watched in ecstasy as her eyes bulged, her body spasm, and blood expelled and flowed from her mouth. He saw the large glass protruding from the girl's chest and abdomen, and he became as giddy as a schoolgirl.  
  
Slowly and eerily, the white room dimmed into a slight crimson glow.  
  
He licked the blood off his fingers and ripped into laughter full of ecstasy over his kill and roared, "Freddy's back!"  
  
Chris watched him laugh and stared as the man turned to look at him; again, the man devilishly grinned and whispered "Soon."  
  
Suddenly his hand extended toward Chris along the twenty-foot walkway and slashed his forearm.  
  
"No!" Chris yelled as he thrashed from side to side.  
  
"Chris!" The teacher shouted as he grabbed Chris's shoulders.  
  
Chris woke up and watched as the class stared at him and heard the teacher exclaim, "Your arm," and faint at the sight of the blood.  
  
Chris woozily stood up and looked at his arm and said, "It was just a dream." and passed out next to Mr. Gonzalez, the biology teacher.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Spike strutted down the halls of the hallway thinking, Ditching class; a time-honored tradition. He smiled to himself as he passed the mirror in the hall, and then continued.  
  
He liked his life, of course, secrets and immoral liaisons consumed most of it, but it was his life, and he loved it. Although he did sometimes just want to run away from this thing called life, and just.just go.  
  
Somewhere where things could be different.  
  
A place where he wouldn't have to walk around with fear and in constant heartache, as his loved one was with someone else.  
  
He walked for a while with this sudden expression of light melancholy when he heard the yelling and two thuds from a classroom ahead.  
  
He ran toward the classroom and saw Chris along with the biology teacher sprawled on the floor and a pool of blood forming around Chris's arm. Spike gasped and shouted, "Call the nurse!"  
  
Within moments, he came with gauze and medication. Two students helped him get Chris into his office, and by now, the class had ended and students from all classes bunched up to see what the commotion was all about as the teacher was brought out of his slightly comatose behavior.  
  
Spike watched as the blood drip past him and he backed into the lockers holding back from throwing up on the floor.  
  
He hated the site of blood.  
  
While the nurse told the students to get back to class, he breathed slowly to get over the queasy feeling at the pit of his stomach. Suddenly a hand grabbed his arms and dragged him into an empty classroom.  
  
"What the hell?" Spike said as he turned around swiftly, only to be met with a kiss on the lips. Once they parted, Spike looked up and said, "Oh, well.I guess you could do that," and grinned. Then pushed the aforementioned assailant away and said, "No not now, I have to go to Chris, make sure he's alright."  
  
Eric looked at him, "Why? I mean, he's with the nurse.I think he's in pretty good hands." Eric tried to go to him, but Spike evaded him, "Because he's my cousin. Family. You do remember what that means right?"  
  
Eric stared at him, "Of course I know what it means; it's those things on TV right? The Brady Bunch?" He smiled at Spike who obviously thought his witty humor was funny because he was trying very hard to contain his smile.  
  
"Look, I really have to go. I'll see you tonight right?"  
  
Eric gave him a serious look, "You haven't told little cousin over there about us have you?" Despite their avid love for each other, Eric had an overwhelming need to seem remotely normal.  
  
Spike found it oddly cute.  
  
Everyone, well almost everyone, knew about Spike, at least the friends he had did-no one else really much cared.  
  
He liked it that way; no fuss, no muss.  
  
"No," he moved closer to Eric, "your shameful secret is still just that." Quickly Spike faked a sad puppy dog look. Eric watched him and said, "No fair, you know I can't take the face. And you're not a shameful secret, I just like what we have, and I just want it between us. Something all for me, y'know."  
  
"You're a terrible liar, but it's ok, with me." He half smiled to Eric and kissed him a bit and said, "Now I have to go." He turned around and started out for the door.  
  
"You just like to tease me," Eric said mockingly.  
  
"Don't I know it."  
  
Eric watched as Spike left the room, and stood there all alone. He would have to wait in the room for a bit because if anyone would see them leave an abandoned class room a few minutes apart, they might suspect him of not being who they thought he was. He couldn't understand why he was so paralyzed with fear about telling people who he really was, but it was just something he wasn't ready for...yet.  
  
He was glad Spike was patient; it was one of the reasons why Eric loved the guy.  
  
Finally, after the appropriate amount of time passed, he exited the room and spotted his "girlfriend" Karen. He strolled over to her, "Hey baby," and hugged her from the back kissing her on the cheek.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chris came to thanks to the smell of onions. The nurse stood over him smiling with the fiendish piece of onion in his hand.  
  
"Oldest trick in the book," the nurse replied. He stood six foot, five inches, muscular, very not the stereotype of school nurses, and Chris noticed a group of girls lusting over him in the "waiting room." He turned back to the nurse, "What happened?"  
  
"I don't know.you tell me."  
  
"Well if I knew don't you think I wouldn't have asked."  
  
The nurse smirked, "Smart ass."  
  
Chris stared at his arm. When did this happen? Who had done this to him?  
  
Chris looked up at the nurse and asked, "Can I go now?"  
  
The nurse inspected the wound and said, "Yeah. You should go home. Do you need me to call your parents?"  
  
"No, no I can walk. It's not that far. Thanks though." As he strolled out of the office going through the "waiting room," a blond girl ran in moving toward the girls exclaiming, "Did you guys here what happened to Erika Leeman?"  
  
The girls stared at her and shook their heads.  
  
"It was horrible, somehow she jumped off the school building and.crashed into some of the glass windows that were about to be put up. It was horrible.the glass had." The girl covered her face and started crying and heaving as the others stood around and tried to calm her down.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Spike looked back as Eric wrapped his arms around her, something he'd done to Spike countless times.  
  
He hated Karen.  
  
Karen must die, he thought to himself, and smirked a little. A little jealous much? You know who his heart belongs to.  
  
As he continued to look back, he bumped into someone. "Oh, I'm sorry." He turned back and saw it was Chris, "Oh God, I was just coming to see you. What the hell happened?"  
  
Chris gave him a confused look and said, "I don't know."  
  
"What happened to your arm?"  
  
Chris looked down and said, "I got cut in class." He aimlessly walked toward the exit deep in thought and Spike watched only able say one thing to himself, "What?"  
  
* * * * *  
  
Eric ran upstairs and into his room. He dropped his bag on he floor, and took off his letterman jacket flopping onto his bed and looked at the picture on the nightstand; a picture of Karen in her pink dress, and light blue denim jacket, she was beautiful, and beside her was Eric with a mock smile on his face.  
  
He turned the picture frame around and undid the latches, quickly taking out a picture, and as he looked at the picture, it brought a big smile to his face. He gazed at the picture of him and Spike; Spike was still in his ever-famous black, his hair was a bit red then, and Eric had his arms around him and a huge smile, a real smile.  
  
He took the picture out and held it as he lay down on a pillow and began to drift, and soon he was fast asleep.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chris trudged into his house, but no one was home. He sighed, and headed into the kitchen. As he entered a flash of the nightmare with his father and the refrigerator flew through his mind. He shakily opened the fridge and grabbed a soda. No dad there.  
  
He chuckled to himself about how absurd the dream was.  
  
Then he looked down at his forearm and knew that this was supposed to be absurd too.  
  
People don't get hurt in their dreams. Maybe he cut himself on the desk when he was thrashing from the nightmare.four different times.  
  
It could happen.  
  
Chris ran up the stairs, careful not to hurt his arm, and flopped on his bed. He grabbed the remote, turned on the TV, and watched Rosie; as soon as Rosie began talking, he fell asleep.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Eric's eyes fluttered open and he found himself outside.  
  
He shot up and looked around.  
  
His bed was outside in the dark.  
  
He turned back and saw a house; an old, dirty, dingy house with a green roof that was falling apart, with a brown, moldy structure, red paint peeling on the door, with a little black gate to see through.  
  
He stood up and walked towards the old abandoned home.  
  
In the wind he could hear the rhyme that most of the crazy old people would sing."One, two, Freddy's coming for you.three, four, better lock your door."  
  
A shiver ran down his spine.  
  
As soon as he walked through the door, leaving it open, it eerily slammed shut, trapping him in. He instinctively turned around when he heard the slam struggling to try and pry open the door, but it was to no avail. He slowly turned around and saw the house begin to dematerialize and change.  
  
The chairs and table in the kitchen sank and melted, and it suddenly got very cold. He took a hard breath and he saw smoke release from his mouth.  
  
He held his arms together, hugging himself to keep warm.  
  
He saw rocks form and limestone walls replaced the wood.  
  
A cave, that's where he was now. Dark, dank, and damp. He slowly traveled through the cave and tried to focus on figuring out a way of getting out. The rhyme was still floating in his head as he continued through; suddenly her heard the fluttering of bat wings. Rodents that flew.he hated bats.  
  
He stopped for a moment and listened for any sign of human life. He spun around and heard pounding coming from somewhere around him. He heard the flinch of knives. He ran, he didn't care where to, as long as it was away from whomever that was.  
  
"C'mon Eric, don't you want to play? Don't you want to save Spike?" Eric stopped dead in his tracks. "W-what?" The man chuckled. "Ah, so your boyfriend'll make you stop."  
  
"How do you."  
  
"I know everything." Freddy materialized in front of him and chuckled.  
  
"Who are you?" Eric said backing away, as Freddy began to follow him.  
  
"You know the answer." Eric glared at him blankly and then he started to squirm and in horror shouted, "Oh fuck, Krueger."  
  
"I'm glad my name still strikes terror in the hearts of children."  
  
Taunting Eric, he grabbed his neck and held him up against the wall, and to mess with him even more and make him squirm, Freddy kissed Eric. Eric was paralyzed with fear. "What've you done with Spike!" he demanded; shocked he could even talk after such a horrible disgusting act.  
  
"Dead," Freddy said with his brow raised. "It was fun."  
  
Eric's eyes bulged and began to tear.  
  
Suddenly he became determined, and kicked Freddy in the stomach dropping to the floor. "I am not dying." He stood up and broke into a run. With the wind slightly knocked out of him Freddy replied, "That's what they all say," and quickly stood up and chased after him.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chris walked around this place; he could have sworn he heard running.  
  
He turned to his left and bumped into someone, and the two both fell back. The person stood up, picked Chris up, then pinned Chris to the wall, with his fist in the air.when the person saw it was Chris he let go and shouted, "Run!"  
  
Chris watched as Eric started off, and then heard the chuckling; he didn't have to be told who it was. He ran with Eric by his side.  
  
"What the."  
  
"Right there with you buddy," Eric said. Suddenly Freddy threw Chris to the wall, and slammed Eric onto the floor.  
  
Freddy's clawed hand was at Eric's face, taunting him. "Well so much for the survival plan," he told him. Eric could only watch Freddy's hand in terror. Freddy punched Eric in the face, and started slowly to cut Eric's face and chuckled at the same time.  
  
Suddenly Freddy was knocked out of the way, and Eric was helped up. Chris stood there, and Eric said, "Thanks."  
  
"Later," Chris said as they started to run, but Freddy was on them. Chris kicked Freddy in the stomach, and he slammed into the rocks. Chris tackled Eric to get out of the way, when an alarm went off.  
  
Chris jumped up.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Eric woke up with a thud. He sharply stood up; he'd fallen out of bed. That was a fucked up dream, he thought. He put his hand on his forehead and a sharp pain coursed through him. He walked over to the mirror and saw blood trickle down his cheek, and a slight gash along his cheek and quickly grabbed a towel, to slowly wipe off the blood, and his eyes fell on the picture of Spike and him on the floor.  
  
"Spike." he whispered to himself. Quickly he picked up the picture, put it back in its hiding place, grabbed his coat and headed out the door. 


	3. Truths

A Nightmare on Elm Street: Harvest of Souls  
  
Truths  
  
By: Fernando Rangel  
  
John Castillo sat in the food court at the mall next to Karen Jennings. He watched the sky from the big sunroof of the mall. He watched as Jennifer Ewing came by with their order.  
  
"How much do we owe you?" He said to Jennifer.  
  
"Oh come on, nothing. It's my treat," she said and looked at him longingly while he grabbed his burger and soda. Karen sat reading her English book and said, "I give up! I am never going to pass English," and threw her hands in the air.  
  
"What now?" John said.  
  
"What the hell is the difference between a paradox, an antithesis, and.the other one.damn it. I hate school."  
  
John looked at her and said, "I actually do not know this one."  
  
Jen and Karen both looked at him in shock.  
  
"What?"  
  
"What? What? You are our Mr. Brain guy. You are our sage. Our savior. Our 'He-who-knows-all.'" Karen looked at him in sheer shock.  
  
"Excuse me for being slightly normal. I know how to tell the difference, I just don't know the difference enough to explain it."  
  
"Oh, well in that case," Karen smacked him in the arm.  
  
"Did you guys hear about the new kid?" Jen said.  
  
"No, what?" John asked as he took a bite out of his burger.  
  
"He had a total freak out in class today. He like, I don't know, it was all weird. He'd fallen asleep in Mr. G's class."  
  
"Fitting in already," Karen said.  
  
"Yes.I mean no, he starts, like screaming, and then he's fucking cut!"  
  
"Oh no way, you're shitting me." John said almost spitting out his soda.  
  
"I shit you not," Jen said.  
  
"Holy fuck," Karen said, "is he ok?"  
  
"Oh yeah, they called the nurse, and they let him go home early."  
  
"God damn, I can't believe I missed this." John said.  
  
"That's not even the half of it. You know what I heard?"  
  
"What?" Karen asked her.  
  
"That he was in a mental hospital."  
  
"No way," John said in disbelief.  
  
"Oh, and that's not the weirdest part, he's living in the old Thompson place."  
  
"That place was torn down," Karen said matter-of-factly.  
  
"Yea, but the place where it was built on wasn't."  
  
"Oh fuck, you're serious? He's living on that place? No wonder the kid's fucked."  
  
"Seems like every kid that lives there goes a bit psycho." Karen replied a bit distracted.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Karen walked down the sidewalk. She turned into her driveway, but stopped and turned around to look at the house across the street, then watched as Chris walked out to get the mail.  
  
She hated that place.  
  
She always had nightmares about that place, this new house looked so much like the old one, but the kid was new, and probably didn't have any friends.  
  
She took a deep breath and headed over toward Chris.  
  
"Hi," she said as she waved her hand.  
  
Chris looked up at her, dropped the mail, and bent down to pick it up, "Sorry, and hi." He stood back up. "I'm Chris Collins, new neighbor. I don't think we met officially at school."  
  
"Oh, no my fault. Please excuse Eric, he's just a big jerk, but he's cool once you get to know him. I'm Karen." She extended her hand, and he took it. "Nice to meet you," he said.  
  
He looked around and said, "Well, um.I am so bored here.what do you guys have to do for fun. You do have like.a theater right?" She laughed, "Yes, we have one, a mall, and we even have a club."  
  
"Ah, so it's not all small town folk." He said smirking.  
  
"So have you seen much of the town?"  
  
"No, I haven't had the chance. Don't really know enough people."  
  
"Oh, well. Change and I'll show you the town." Chris stared at her, "Really?"  
  
"Really. We're neighbors right? And friends? It'd be the neighborly and friendly thing to do."  
  
"All right then, come on inside, and give me a few minutes."  
  
Karen followed Chris into his house and he said, "Just make yourself at home, I'll be down in a minute." Karen sat down on the couch and watched him go up the stairs. The boy issn't half bad, he might actually be cool.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Spike walked out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist. Today was a day of odd occurrences. What was up with Chris? He wondered if the Elm Street curse was real. He never had actually believed it, but with the stories that were being told,.he didn't know anymore.  
  
He walked into his room when he heard pounding at the door. "What the." he said as he turned around.  
  
Finally, the door was burst open. Note to self, lock the doors.  
  
Spike was surprised to hear his name being called by the voice booming downstairs, and he suddenly became quite thankful that his family wasn't home.  
  
"Spike!"  
  
He grinned to himself, How sweet, he came to see me.  
  
Spike walked over to the stair banister and said, "God kid, you're all sweat-like, what the hell happened to you?"  
  
Eric ran up the stairs and grabbed Spike in a huge hug. "Spike, oh Spike, thank God, I thought he'd gotten you."  
  
"Who got what? You're not making." But before he could say more, he was silenced with a kiss. Which was followed by a thousand more. "Oh, I thought you were dead. I was so scared that I'd never see you again." They were in Spike's room now.  
  
"God Eric, what happened?" He looked at Eric in the face and said, "Oh shit, you're bleeding. Sit down."  
  
"No, I'm fine," he said not letting Spike go.  
  
"OK, don't think I'm not fond of the loving hold but, I'm going to have to breathe soon."  
  
"Oh, sorry." He slowly let go.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"It was a really bad.dream.I guess."  
  
"What happened in the dream to spook you so much?"  
  
Eric looked away. "I was in this cave.thing, and I was being chased, by this.man." He looked at Spike, "I think I've been hearing too many stories, cause the guy said he was Fred Krueger. And he said that he killed you. I was so scared. My heart just stopped. And then I kicked the fucker and started to run, and some how your cousin got in there, and he well, saved me."  
  
"Where'd you get cut?"  
  
"In my dream.I must of hit my head on the nightstand or something when I fell off the bed." Spike watched, as Eric's eyes just stayed on him, terrified.  
  
Spike looked in his eyes and said, "I'm fine. See?"  
  
He stood up and did a turn.  
  
"It was just a dream. We'll be fine." He kissed Eric on the forehead.  
  
Eric closed his eyes and said, "I love you."  
  
Spike looked at him.  
  
It was the first time Eric had said that to him. Spike had said it numerous times, and he only responded "me too".or "ditto."  
  
"I love you too," he looked him in the eyes, " it scared you that much huh?"  
  
"Yeah, the thought of losing you. I can't bear it. Every time I see you, or am near you my heart pines. I just want to go with you somewhere else. Away. Every time I'm with you, my skin hums. I can't bear to be away. And when I am, I'm thinking of you. Every time I leave, it gets harder and harder. And I know most of this is my fault for not wanting to tell anyone, but."  
  
Spike said, "I know what you mean." He half-smiled at him, and kissed him, knocking him back on the bed.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Karen stood up and walked over to the fireplace shelf, and looked at all the pictures. With a big rumble, and laughter, and the shift of shopping bags, came in a couple.  
  
The couple stared at her and the woman said, "Why hello."  
  
"Hi," Karen said, "you must be Chris's mom and dad." She smiled at them.  
  
"Yes, I'm Marsha, Chris's mom, and this is Mo, Chris's dad." Marsha walked up to Karen and took her hand, and said, "And you are?"  
  
"I'm Karen. I live across the street. I go to school with Chris."  
  
"Oh, well, it's a pleasure meeting you," Guillermo said, "are you going somewhere?"  
  
"Oh I was going to show him the town, help him get better aquatinted with it."  
  
"Oh how sweet of you dear," Marsha said. Karen turned back and asked, "Um.I hope you don't mind my asking, but who's this boy in the picture?"  
  
On the sill was a picture of a five year old Chris, and a seven year old boy.  
  
Marsha walked over and became solemn.  
  
"Oh...that's Chris's older brother.," Marsha said.  
  
"Oh, where is he? I'd like to meet him," Karen asked.  
  
Marsh stood quietly and said, "He passed away two years ago...in his sleep..." and she watched as the mother looked at the picture, and watched as Mr. Collins went to put his arm around her.  
  
Karen stood there awkwardly and said, "I'm sorry." There was a long silence until Chris broke it as he came down the stairs shouting, "OK, I'm ready."  
  
He looked at everyone and said, "Mom, dad. When did you guys get here?"  
  
"Oh, just a few minutes ago. We were just talking here with Karen."  
  
"Oh," Chris said.  
  
"Well we should get going," Karen said, "it was nice meeting you all."  
  
"Oh it was nice meeting you too," Mr. Collins said.  
  
Chris turned around and led her out the door mouthing a "thank you" to her.  
  
"Bye mom. Bye dad. I'll see you in a few." He closed the door behind him and followed Karen to her car.  
  
"He's been having the nightmares. I just know it." Marsha told her husband.  
  
"You're overreacting dear."  
  
"No, I'm not."  
  
"They're just stories."  
  
Marsha looked at her husband and said, "You're right. Just stories," she hugged her husband. Just why didn't she believe that?  
  
* * * * *  
  
"So where are we going?" Chris asked and looked at Karen.  
  
"What do you feel like doing?"  
  
"A movie is fine with me. I don't have to see much of this place. Just the places to have 'fun.'" He smiled at her.  
  
"Then a movie is what we'll do first, and then we'll go to the club."  
  
"What's the name of it anyway?"  
  
"Oh, it's called Quake."  
  
"Well, I hope it's cooler, than the name suggests."  
  
"What is it that makes you hate about this town anyway? I mean other than it's small towniness."  
  
Chris looks at the peaked tower of the Ohio State Institution For Troubled Teens, "No reason."  
  
"You're lying. I know when people are lying. What's up with you?"  
  
Chris sighed and said, "Can we just not talk about it?"  
  
"Yeah, I'm sorry."  
  
"Oh, no, it's just.I'm not really into talking about me. Never had to. There are just a lot of reasons, and I'm not really into sharing mode."  
  
"Is it cause you were in a M.I.?"  
  
"M.I.?"  
  
"Mental Institution," she said shiftily.  
  
Chris looked at her and said, "Where did you hear that?"  
  
"Just something the kids at school were saying. Not that I believe them, but."  
  
"I was."  
  
She looked at him shocked as he looked away from her. She had never expected him to actually tell her, "Y-you don't have to."  
  
"I wasn't sleeping. I was having nightmares. Really bad ones."  
  
"About your brother?"  
  
"Some," he said looking down at his shoes, " others.I don't know. They were just.nightmares."  
  
"So why were you put in there? For nightmares?"  
  
"Because I wasn't sleeping. Sleep deprivation. Caused by guilt, they said. So, they gave me a shrink, who told me that I could trust people. That I didn't have to be so closed about myself. And so forth. Finally, when nothing helped the dreams just stopped. And I was better. So, they let me out. Not that there was ever anything wrong.I just, was so scared I.just.stopped sleeping." He watched as the trees flew by in the window.  
  
"Yea, I probably would to," and after a moment of silence she asked, " so do you like butter on your popcorn?"  
  
Chris gave her a smile.  
  
* * * * *  
  
John and Jen clumsily walked into the house giggling. "That was funny. Absolutely the best movie ever." John said as he smiled at Jen. He crashed onto the couch and looked at Jen as she sat in the chair and turned on the TV. An old episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer was playing.  
  
"Can you believe that our parents watched this stuff?"  
  
"Hey Buffy's cool. And you know this."  
  
Jen watched as John intently watched as Faith was in Buffy's body, and talked to Spike, pinning him to a corner. "I could ride you at a gallop, until your knees buckled, and your eyes rolled back. I've got muscles you've never even dreamed of. I could squeeze you until you popped like warm champagne, and you'd beg me to hurt you just a little more. And you know why I don't? Because it's wrong."  
  
"Can you say Slut-oh-rama?"  
  
"Shut up, you know you like this show," John said as he watched his best friend look at him.  
  
"Whatever." She said watching the show. "I only watch it cause of that Spike guy, he's cute."  
  
"Speaking of Spike, what's up with him?"  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"You mean you guys aren't dating anymore?"  
  
"When were we ever?"  
  
"Um.you told me you guys were."  
  
"That was two years ago." *And he's gay, * she thought.  
  
"Oh," John said looking back at the television.  
  
Jen watched her best friend as he dozed off to sleep.  
  
She hated the fact that he had never noticed her.  
  
She loved the guy with all her heart.  
  
And if she had to, she'd die for John. But when was he ever going to notice? She wasn't going to be young and nubile forever.  
  
She looked at him and wondered what it'd be like to be his girlfriend.  
  
If it would be everything, she ever wanted.  
  
She sighed and watched as he fell asleep peacefully.  
  
She knew they say that if you can watch someone sleep for hours on end, without saying or doing anything.you know you're in love.  
  
She'd done that for so many years.  
  
She sat quietly, and turned the television off and watched as he dreamt.  
  
* * * * *  
  
John's eyes fluttered open and said, "Jen, could you get me some water?" He repeated himself, and when she didn't answer, he looked at the chair where he last saw his best friend and said, "Jen?" When he saw she wasn't there, he stood up and said, "Jen you leave?"  
  
He walked into the kitchen and saw no one.  
  
He decided to check upstairs, maybe she wanted to get online.  
  
His house was her house.  
  
He ran upstairs and said, "Jen you doof, you let me sleep." When no one was there he thought, *That's weird, she's usually here all night. *  
  
He walked to his closet and pulled out some pajamas and a towel then headed for the shower. Once in, he started to take off his shirt when he heard a creak.  
  
He listened a little more, and nothing.  
  
He proceeded to take off his pants when he heard the creak again. He buttoned his pant back on, and walked into the hall. "Hello? Jen? Is that you?" He continued down the hall, and saw no one. Then the doorbell rang breaking the silence and startling John. He went back into the restroom and put his shirt back on and headed down stairs.  
  
He crept over to the door and opened it.  
  
No one was there.  
  
Angrily he shouted, "Don't you kids think you're a little too old to play Ding Dong Ditch?" He began to close the door when someone slammed it open and said, "Hardly," and kicked John in the stomach.  
  
John looked up.  
  
It was Freddy.  
  
"Holy fuck," he said, "what the hell happened to you?"  
  
He stood up and started to back away, but Freddy followed and said, "Got cornered, then burned alive, left for dead."  
  
"Oh," John said, and broke into a run upstairs.  
  
"Where do you think you're going?" Freddy said as he materialized in front of John and kicked him in the stomach. John rolled down the stairs, bumping his head harder and harder with each step. John looked up to see a blurred and grinning Freddy. He crawled and backed into the wall and tried to get up, but Freddy grabbed his shirt and flexed his glove.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Jen watched as John thrashed from side to side, and his eyeball twitched from side to side from underneath the eyelid. When he began screaming she knew that she had to wake him up.  
  
She rushed over to him and started to call him.  
  
She shook him violently and he shot up, knocking her down. He was breathing hard, and his stomach had a bit of blood seeping through his white shirt.  
  
"Oh God, John you're stomach."  
  
"Jen," he said and hugged her. "Oh thank God, it was just a dream."  
  
"You're bleeding!"  
  
"What?" He said grunting as he looked down and pressed lightly at his stomach. "Oh fuck."  
  
He stood up, leaning against Jennifer and said, "There is a first aide kit over there in the kitchen. They walked over to it, and he took off his shirt.  
  
She, for a second got flustered at the sight of him with his shirt off, and then composed herself and tended to his wound.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chris walked into school the next day and went to his locker. He turned his head to see Karen walk in alone. He quickly grabbed his English book, and slammed his locker shut. He slowly walked over to Karen, who wore sunglasses.  
  
"You Ok?" He asked her.  
  
"Yeah, I just have been having trouble sleeping."  
  
"Ah, bags."  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"The sunglasses," he said, "that explains them." He smiled at her as she laughed. "Yeah, that explains it."  
  
"I had fun last night. Thanks for taking me out."  
  
"Oh, no. Thank you. I haven't had fun like that in a long time."  
  
"Oh, aren't you with Eric. I mean don't you guys do things like that?"  
  
"Yeah, but it's.it's different with him. Like he's not always there. Like he's thinking about being somewhere else. Maybe it's my imagination or something."  
  
"Maybe, any guy would be lucky to have you." He said quietly and then quickly said, "I've got to get to class. See you around."  
  
She smiled at him as he scurried away, "Cute. Very cute." She said to herself. Hopefully I'll see you real soon, she thought and grinned to herself. She walked over to her locker, and grabbed her extra emergency make-up bag, and headed into the girl's bathroom. Once Karen walked into the restroom and passed a girl smoking.  
  
She coughed a bit and the girl said, "Sorry, force of habit," and deposited some ash in the trashcan.  
  
"It's ok." Karen said to her cheerily.  
  
Kerry watched as Karen applied her make-up. "Jesus Christ, you put on a lot of shit. You're not meeting the president princess. Its just school."  
  
"Sorry, force of habit." She said a bit sarcastically but Kerry didn't pay much attention.  
  
Once she was done, Karen said good bye and headed to class.  
  
Kerry took another drag and watched as the smoke swirled around in the air. Her eyes began to become heavy.  
  
She readjusted herself on the seat by the window, and looked out of it. She looked through the tiny thing, as Spike and Eric climbed the steps to class. They're gay, she thought. Then her eyes got droopier and she fell asleep.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Kerry woke to the sound of birds chirping.  
  
She sat up and looked around her.  
  
A forest.  
  
She stood up, and saw the hazy mist, and the big oak trees. It was like she was in a fairy tale, she looked down at her dress and it was with the medieval theme, a pink dress of the times, and a pointed hat that most princesses wore. All the time as a little girl, she loved to have been a princess, to be saved by Prince Charming. She loved these dreams of being whisked away from her life, and being with her handsome prince.  
  
She gleefully frolicked through the forest playing with the little gnomes, and all the fairies. This was her best dream yet.  
  
She watched happily as her prince came galloping on his beautiful white stead, fast, and beautiful.  
  
She loved this part.  
  
Suddenly she screamed.  
  
It wasn't her prince, he wasn't on a white stead, and he wasn't here to save her.  
  
Instead, she saw a charred man in a dirty green and red sweater, and a dusty brown hat.  
  
He rode on a decaying black horse, and he came at her with a large ax.  
  
She turned to run, her feet pounded as the dead horse's own pounding increasingly came closer, but with a shriek that was cut short. Freddy watched as the body collapsed on its knees and fell down, and he gleefully watched as the head rolled away next to a pair of squirrels.  
  
He relished at the blood flowing from out of the neck.  
  
"How's that for medieval."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Spike and Eric ran up the steps of the school.  
  
In the hall, they scanned and combed the students looking for Chris, Karen, Jen, and John. Once their search proved pointless, Eric turned to Spike and said, "You find your cousin. I'll get the others."  
  
"Right," Spike nodded in assurance. He hoped to God that they weren't crazy.  
  
He moved to give Eric a kiss, when he remembered where he was and awkwardly patted Eric on the shoulder and then turned and ran off.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Jen watched as John carefully slid into his desk slowly, with a sharp pain in his abdomen. As he hissed and cursed under his breath, words that would have made his "Stepford Mother" blush ten shades red, Jen asked, "How DID that happen anyway?"  
  
"Hell if I know. But it hurts like a bitch. Ten of them actually," he said with a smirk full of pain.  
  
Jen nodded her head, and gave him a mock smile. Her loving forlorn heart broke as she watched him swallow the pain for her, to show her he was a tough guy.  
  
She thought it made him even cuter, although she didn't know if that was humanly possible.  
  
She inwardly sighed and thought, I'm sick. I need help.  
  
John worriedly watched Jen looking at him with pain in her eyes. "What did I do now?" He asked.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"You've got 'cancer puppy' face. What's up?"  
  
"Sorry," she blushed, "I hate seeing you in pain." She looked away and turned ten shades redder then humanly possible.  
  
John smiled at her and said, "I'm fine." He touched her chin and looked her in the eyes, "Really."  
  
"M-Kay," she said.  
  
Her lustful heart pounded and pined as he touched her chin.  
  
She became light-headed.  
  
Was he going to kiss her? It showed all the signs of pre-ready kissage, she told herself.  
  
Her pink voluptuous lips ached for his as he drew nearer, causing her mouth to dry, and it only worsened the closer he got.  
  
Finally, he kissed her.on her forehead.  
  
Of course, she thought.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chris watched as Karen wrote in her notebook.  
  
His heart skipped a beat as she brushed hair from her eyes and slid it behind her ears. Is this a crush Chris? He told himself, Don't you think it's a bit too early in the year for this? He said to himself again.  
  
He knew all this was true.  
  
And it'd be good not to get attached.  
  
But of course, he zoned out that little pesky voice of reason and logic.  
  
Besides, why ruin a perfectly good warm and fuzzy. God knows he hadn't had many of them.  
  
He sighed a bit as he watched her lay her head on her hands, and close her eyes.  
  
She was even prettier when she was asleep.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Dreams," said the teacher. "What the fuck are they? Where the hell do they come from? Is it our shitty fucked up mind trying to tease us or scare us shitless?" The teacher jumped on his desk.  
  
Jeremiah Hinojosa, the newest member of the faculty, was just fresh out of college and a lot more liberal and hipper than most of the old sixty- something and eighty-something teachers.  
  
He was much more popular than those teachers were. Mostly because the students could call him Jeremiah, as long as they didn't add 'the bullfrog' at the end, and because cussing was not important to him.  
  
He loved doing it. Besides, if students talked straight with him, and he to them, the more he could help them.  
  
"Aristotle believed that dreams were worlds, other realms that our souls drifted off to. Kind of like astral projection with a fucked up destination," he said as the students laughed. Of course, the only draw back to Jeremiah, would be his lame jokes and comments.  
  
They laughed out of pity.  
  
He jumped off his desk and walked around the classroom saying, "He also believed that sometimes, when the Gods were bored, they allowed 'the dream master' to intervene in these other realms, and pretty much fuck the hell out of you." He looked at them for a second and said, "Not literally of course."  
  
One person sighed loudly causing a bit of laughter.  
  
Jeremiah cleared his throat and continued, "What I meant was, if the 'master of dreams' killed you, you really wouldn't be in the union anymore. He said that the dream worlds were very much as real as our reality. The soul was an extension of our bodies, so subjected to the same rules. At least that's what I think it meant."  
  
The class laughed as he sighed and went to his desk and said, "Homework!"  
  
Groans of filled the room.  
  
"Hey! Pipe the fuck down." He smiled at that and said, "Your job for tonight is to record your dreams, and to analyze them, actually have someone else analyze them. This is psyche class after all. Did you really think you'd go through this class without finding out how fucked up you really are, did you?"  
  
Most of the class laughed it off, but some kept quiet. Mostly because many of them had homicidal-kill mom, dad, brother, and sister type dreams, which scared them a bit.  
  
Chris shifted a bit uneasily. He'd this before; none of it turned out good.  
  
Karen yawned and fell into deep sleep as the class began to chatter for the last five minutes of class, while Jeremiah graded a couple psyche tests, and Chris watched her sleep.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Karen walked into the club slowly. She looked around at the inside with its warehouse look, purple and green couches, with blue pillows. She looked out onto the dance floor; only a few couples were dancing. She saw John reluctantly dancing with Jen, who was absorbing all she could from this moment. Oddly, there wasn't any music playing and no one was saying a word.  
  
The room was slow, and eerily silent.  
  
It scared her.  
  
She looked toward one of the couches and saw Eric and Spike making out.  
  
She watched as he cupped Spike's cheek and made out in front of her. HER boyfriend, making out with another BOY.  
  
Spike no less, Eric had always hated Spike.  
  
She looked down and suddenly she jumped when tapped on the shoulder. She turned around and saw Chris. Suddenly Eric's gayness, or would be gayness, didn't matter.  
  
Besides-it's just a dream.  
  
"Chris," she said her voice sounding strange in the surrounding silence.  
  
She followed him onto the dance floor and obligingly danced with him, putting her head on his chest.  
  
She liked being in his arms, she felt safe, like he was here to protect her. She smiled to herself and said to him, "Y'know this is nice. I've never felt like this with anyone.even Eric."  
  
"Me too," he said a bit mechanically.  
  
She didn't even notice.  
  
She looked at him in the eyes and she kissed him.  
  
She felt his tongue slide into her mouth, going farther in, and suddenly she was choking.  
  
Her eyes opened wide.  
  
She watched as Chris morphed into a horribly burned man who was choking her with his elongated tongue.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chris watched as Karen coughed and then suddenly began choking in her sleep.  
  
The kids backed away, and the teacher jumped back into the chalkboard.  
  
"What the fuck is wrong with you guys?" Chris shouted and jumped over the desk and swiftly went to the girl.  
  
"Karen," he shouted, "Karen wake up!" He shook her shoulders.  
  
"No don't she's just having a nightmare, she has to face it, she'll be fine," Jeremiah said, trying to reassure the kids that things would be fine.  
  
"What the fuck do you know? Look at her! Do you think people do that during nightmares you fucking prick?  
  
Jeremiah stepped back in awe.  
  
He watched as Chris yelled her name, and tried to wake her up.  
  
Her face was turning blue and purple.  
  
Suddenly the class bell rang loudly, filling the room.  
  
No one moved and finally Karen shouted, "No!" Her eyes were open wide, and horrified, and she gasped for air, and fell into Chris's arms.  
  
The kids stared at her for a few moments and left. Spike came running into the room and said, "Chris! Karen!" They turned to look at him. "You Ok?" They nodded and he said, "Good. C'mon, we need to talk."  
  
"Yeah. Take Karen. I'll get our stuff." He handed the still shaken Karen to Spike, and watched as they walked out of the room. He grabbed his pack and stuffed in his pen and notebook.  
  
He turned back to get Karen's things when the teacher said, "I told you she'd wake up." Chris stopped and looked him in the eyes and said, "Thanks to the bell, not you. Another 30 seconds, and you'd have another dead student."  
  
"You don't believe that stuff I said earlier do you? It was old classic shit."  
  
"I've done the dream thing. None of it is good. You don't find out anything good, it's all bad."  
  
He picked up Karen's things.  
  
"Chris." the teacher began, but Chris cut him off by "flipping the bird" and said, "Fuck off Mr. Hinojosa," and walked out of the room. 


	4. Revelations

A Nightmare on Elm Street: Harvest of Souls  
  
Chapter Three: Revelations  
  
By: Fernando Rangel  
  
  
  
Spike walked into Chris's room.  
  
Eric sat in a chair, looking out the window.  
  
"She had a freak out in psyche class," he said slowly and walked over to the bed. Eric slowly turned his head, "Where is she?"  
  
"She wanted to change clothes. What about John and Jen?" Eric stood up, walked over to Chris's dresser, and looked at the photos, "The same," he said.  
  
Spike stood up, walked over to him, and said, "We'll be OK, what if it's just a nightmare."  
  
"I have to know."  
  
"That you're not crazy," he finished.  
  
Eric blushed and said, "I hate that you know me so well."  
  
Spike smiled at him and said, "We'll be fine. I promise. Even if this is real, I'd never let him take you."  
  
"Sappy much," he turned to Spike and then said, "but sweet."  
  
Spike smiled and kissed him.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chris walked up the stairs with cokes in his hands.  
  
What were they doing here?  
  
In his house, with people he didn't know, except for Spike, and Karen who was coming later.  
  
What was it with this town?  
  
He officially hated this place. Not to mention his skin was always crawling in this fucking house. How was a guy supposed to call a place home, when the whole time he's getting the Wiggins?  
  
He climbed the stairs and slowly walked into the room calling, "OK guys, I got cokes for us." he was cut off at the site of Eric and Spike kissing in front of his dresser.  
  
"Oh God," he said and turned around and continued, "sorry, I should," he took a breath, "go." He started walking out.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Spike and Eric pulled apart and jerked back into the wall. Shit, Eric thought. They watched as Chris's surprised face turned around, his back to them. "Oh fuck," Eric said.  
  
*Sorry Eric, * Spike thought and watched as Chris started out and called after him, "Chris! Wait!" Chris took a step back and cautiously turned around. "W-what just happened here? I thought you hated him."  
  
Spike put a hand over his forehead and sighed.  
  
"No, not hate him," he walked over to the still scared Eric and cupped his hand, "love him."  
  
Chris looked away slightly, and Spike said, "Does this bother you," he said letting go of Eric. Chris saw this and got alarmed, "Oh, no! Don't.I'm not all 'ew', but."  
  
"But?" Eric finally said.  
  
"What about Karen?"  
  
Eric looked down and Spike looked away.  
  
"She doesn't know," Chris said, confirmed by the silence. "I'm not disgusted, or anything like that, so don't worry. But I am disappointed in you Spike."  
  
Spike's head jerked up and exclaimed, "What?!"  
  
"Yeah," he smiled at him, "you should have told me. You're my cousin, were you afraid how I'd react?"  
  
"Kind of, and cause." he looked at Eric and back at Chris. Chris nodded his head and mouthed an "oh." He walked over to Spike and said, "And you choose now to listen to him? We all know you don't do what you're told." He smiled and said, "We're family, and family sticks together. I don't care that you're gay, I wouldn't care if you were a seven foot ogre, covered in slime, you're my cousin, and at the risk of sounding corny, I love you."  
  
Spike chuckled a bit and said, "Thanks."  
  
Chris turned to Eric and said, "Look kid, Spike likes you; so I guess I could give you the benefit of the doubt, so friends?" He held out his hand for Eric.  
  
Eric waited for a long while and took it, "Friends." He smiled at Chris, who added, "Don't worry you guys. Your secret is safe with me."  
  
Eric let out a sigh of relief.  
  
Chris walked back and to get the cokes and handed them each one, "But right now, you guys have to stay away. The others will be coming soon, and Eric doesn't want them to know right?"  
  
Eric nodded.  
  
"OK, no smoochies until later."  
  
* * * * *  
  
"What the hell are we doing here?" John said a bit anxious. He wasn't too thrilled with the fact with the schools' new crazy psycho kid was there. And the fact that they were in his house, where he could kill them all in a blood bath that would tear the town apart, and no one would get the rights to his movie if he died, it'd be about the new psycho kid Chris.  
  
He sighed to himself; he had trust issues, and probably crazy too.  
  
Eric looked at him and said, "To talk."  
  
"And what, the Mall wasn't good enough?" He said and straightened his back, and then a burst of pain filled his abdomen. "You Ok?" Karen asked.  
  
"Yes, thanks for asking," he said looking at the others. Spike rolled his eyes.  
  
"Look, how have you guys been sleeping," Eric blurted out.  
  
"Like a fucking rock, what's it to you?" John said on the defense.  
  
"John come on, we're friends here," Eric said to try to calm him down.  
  
"Friends? Since when did Twiddle Dumb and Dee become our friends?" John exclaimed angrily looking at Spike and Chris.  
  
Chris sighed and stood up, John took a step back, and Chris looked away. "Eric, maybe this is a bad idea. I don't even know what it's about, but it seems your friend here doesn't like me, so you guys should do this."  
  
John winced.  
  
Damn it when did you become ice hearted?  
  
"Look sorry. It's just, my abs are killing me."  
  
"Did you put something on it?"  
  
"This morning."  
  
"Did you not learn anything in health? Come on, I'll put something on it," Chris said going into the kitchen. John followed behind and Chris threw back, "You guys start without us, we'll be right back."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Eric turned back to the others, who were waiting for an explanation as to why they were here.  
  
He smiled and said, "I think we should wait for them," and watched as Jen and Karen rolled their eyes.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chris walked over to the right hand cabinet and searched through the items, and finally he brought out a blue tin first aid kit. He turned around and placed it onto the counter and said, "OK, pick up your shirt a bit."  
  
He opened the box, and pulled out some hydrogen peroxide. He grabbed a cotton ball and dipped it in the ointment.  
  
He turned around, and waited while John took off the bandage slowly; making a face each time, he pulled the bandage slightly, as the tape pulled at his skin. Once the bandage was off, Chris saw the large gash, and slightly gasped. His lips parted a bit and said, "That's a pretty big cut." He watched as John chuckled a bit, and winced as his wound bled a bit more.  
  
Chris grabbed a towel and stopped the blood from falling on the floor, and dabbed John's abs.  
  
He turned back, and grabbed the cotton ball and looked at it. *It'll have to do, * he thought and began to dab the area, and watched as the white foam began to show after he dabbed the cotton ball.  
  
"See, don't clean it for a while and in comes the infection." He grinned, when he was little he remember he wanted to be a doctor. Those were happy times with.Ben.  
  
The glint in his eye dimmed a bit, and then he came out of it.  
  
He grabbed the ointment and again put some on the wound. "You guys really don't like me, huh?"  
  
He looked up as he spread the cold sticky goop of medicine, carefully making sure he didn't hurt John.  
  
"Look, I said I didn't mean it. My abs remember?"  
  
Chris looked up at him and gave him a half smile, "I know when I'm being lied to, or when someone doesn't mean something," his brows shifted up, "you did."  
  
John looked away and defeatedly said, "Yeah, I really did. It's nothing personal."  
  
"Oh yeah, me not being liked, yeah, that's not personal."  
  
"That's not what I meant. Look, I don't much like change. In fact, I hate to think about graduation. It's two years away and getting closer day by day. As it is, things are changing as we speak.  
  
"I don't like that feeling.  
  
"Like I'm not going to make it.  
  
"I like things the way they are, and sometimes I just wish time could stop, y'know? Maybe it's cause I'm safer here with my friends, with my family, and I won't be alone.  
  
"I'm not good with being alone, which amazes me because I've been alone forever. But, when I'm with my friends.I feel, I don't know, less alone?  
  
"Does that make sense? I know it's a bunch of babble, and I tend to do that a lot. And I'm shutting up now."  
  
Chris let out a big laugh, he dropped onto one knee, and laughed some more. John watched and said, "Something funny?"  
  
"I-I'm," breath, "sorry," breath, "it's just," breath, "I haven't heard," breath, "someone talk like that in a long while."  
  
He stood up, finally able to compose himself.  
  
"I know what you mean. I don't like changing things either. I mean, this is new for me. Sort of, but anyway, I know what you mean is my point."  
  
John smiled, "I'm glad, I thought I was the only one." Chris grabbed a piece of bandage and taped him up. While he was doing so he said, "And I get the loneliness part too."  
  
He looked up and said, "Finished."  
  
He closed the box and walked out of the kitchen.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Eric watched as Chris sat down next to Karen, and watched as Karen smiled a big grin, and watched as she eyed Chris over, and almost giggled. Finally, she had met a guy that could give her that something he couldn't give her.  
  
Something that made her burn inside.  
  
The way he felt about Spike.  
  
He had a sudden urge to hold Spike's hand.  
  
"Ok," he said, "let's get started. Ok, I know you guys aren't going to believe me but I have to say this. And I think we're in a lot of danger."  
  
"From what?" Jen asked.  
  
Eric looked at them very seriously.  
  
He swallowed a bit and thought, It's now or die. "From Freddy."  
  
He watched as the others looked at him with wide eyes, except for Spike.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Marsha Collins sat in her desk in her classroom at Springwood Elementary. She looked at the mountain of papers that needed to be graded, and she grinned.  
  
So, she was a square.  
  
So what?  
  
She liked grading papers.  
  
She liked kids. It was only natural that she became a teacher. She chuckled to herself and wondered what Chris was doing. She looked back at the stack of papers when Rachel, the secretary paged her to the office. She got up, and looked back at the huge pile of un-graded papers and thought, They're never going to get done. She walked over to the office and Rachel gave her the phone. "Hello," she said.  
  
"Hello, Mrs. Collins?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Have you talked to your son lately?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"So then he told you what happened in his biology class."  
  
"No, did he do something wrong?"  
  
"Oh, no it's nothing like that. He's been a good student. I've heard only wonderful things. However, this distresses me. Is your son a cutter?"  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"A child who cuts himself. It's nothing to be embarrassed about Mrs. Collins, there are many cases in which."  
  
"No, my son is not a cutter." She sunk down as the office attendants looked at her. She turned her back on them and said, "What is this about?"  
  
"Well, I didn't mean to upset you, it's just.well, he was in his biology class as I said, and he well, fell asleep."  
  
"I'm sorry, but what does that have to do with my son being a cutter? Not that he is, cause he's not." She whispered.  
  
"You didn't let me finish. As the biology teacher attempted to wake him up, he started to scream and shout and woke up.  
  
"His arm had been terribly cut.  
  
"There was no way he could have gotten cut it in class. I don't know how he could of hurt himself." The voice chuckled a bit and said, "It sort of reminds me of the old town legend about teenagers who claimed that the boogie man was killing them in their sleep. I know it's nothing to find amusing, I'm sorry. I'm sorry again. I was just worried. And I wanted to let you know, in case he needs psychiatric help."  
  
"T-thank you." She said a bit alarmed. "Thank you, Mister.uh, I'm sorry what was your name?"  
  
"Oh, my students, and their parents are free to call me Freddy."  
  
"Well, thank you Freddy."  
  
Marsha hung up the phone and rushed to her office.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Jen and Karen ripped into roaring laughter. "Freddy?" They couldn't believe their ears. "Freddy!" They shouted again. "What the hell?" Jen asked. "You expect us to believe that? C'mon sweetie, give us some credit, we are smarter than we look." Karen said.  
  
"Yeah!" Jen said and sunk back into her seat at the couch next to John, and snuggled up to him a bit. Lucky for her he didn't notice her slight snuggling.  
  
John and Chris had been silent, both thinking opposite things.  
  
John thought long and hard.  
  
The man had fucked him up.  
  
He was scared shitless.  
  
What else could there be?  
  
The fucker was real and this time, he was after them.  
  
But why?  
  
Was there something about them that screamed 'kill worthy?' He sighed and said, "I believe him."  
  
It was the only way to explain things.  
  
Chris looked at them all.  
  
Who was this guy that brought laughter to the girls? And what was there to believe?  
  
Who was this person named Freddy. He waited a beat and said, "Who's Freddy?"  
  
They all turned and looked at him. "Are you serious?" John asked shocked.  
  
"Yeah, you've never heard of Fred Krueger? Mr. Oogity Boogity Man? Mr. Night Stalker?" Jen asked with a grin on her face.  
  
Karen looked at her and laughed.  
  
Eric and John watched as they teased him and John, because they didn't believe it. Of course, nothing had happened to them yet. Emphasis on YET.  
  
"Guys, come on. He's new." Eric said. He looked at the others who nodded and Karen turned to him. "Fred was this skanky old timer back in the like Stone Age."  
  
"The stone age?"  
  
"Yeah, like the seventies, and eighties, and early nineties."  
  
"Oh," he said.  
  
"Anyway, he was like this gross old skanky child killer. He would take them back to his icky boiler room, and cut them up." Jen said.  
  
Karen nodded, "Yeah. And then this skank-of-a-bitch, started saying he was back in their Nightmares, after the Elm Street kids, cause the parents had torched the fucker. So for like ten years or so, these kids started dying off and blaming the fucker. The town lost half the population, and went all psycho. They like wouldn't think. They'd gone crazy. All talking to themselves and shit."  
  
"Yeah," Jen said. " It was Rain Man with out the brother, or the actual talking to others, and being good at math, or witty charm."  
  
"So how is that like the Rain Man?" Chris said to Jen.  
  
Jen scowled at him and said, "Shut up. That's totally not the point dumb ass, the point is: this is town legend. Stuff of pretend. Nothing is true. I mean the fucker died forty fucking years ago right? Or something like that? I mean, come on Eric you're talking crazy." She turned to Eric and he stared back at her, and said, "What did he look like?"  
  
"How the hell should I know?"  
  
"Well, what if I said I could tell you what he wore. Would you believe me then?"  
  
"Yeah, right. I'd believe you then." Jen said rolling her eyes.  
  
Eric looked at them. He let out a breath and waited until they all focused on him. "He wears a dirty green and red sweater," he said slowly, "and a dirty brown hat. He's horribly burned," Karen, John, Jen, Chris, and even Spike looked at him in horror.  
  
Karen hugged herself a bit and he continued, "And he has these knives. On a glove. On each finger. They make this horrible screeching noise, like nails on a chalkboard."  
  
They all stared at him with terror in their eyes. "W-where did you hear about this? D-did someone tell you what was going on in my nightmares?" Chris said shakily.  
  
"No," Eric said. They turned to him and they said, "You too," in unison. They looked at each other.  
  
It was real.  
  
Not just some story that old folks ranted about.  
  
Not something to play pretend with when you're little.  
  
This was real life.  
  
And they were in real danger.  
  
And they had do idea what to do.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chris sat there alone and shocked.  
  
Was this real?  
  
Could he really be dead the next time he fell asleep? He watched as Eric and Karen talked, he couldn't hear them, everything was going in slow motion. Suddenly it dawned on him. "What the fuck!" They whipped around and looked at him.  
  
"I know what this is about. None of this is real. You're just so fucked up that you've created a new inventive way to get the new kid."  
  
Eric looked at him and said, "What?"  
  
He looked at the group and said, "'Make Fun of The New Kid Club' huh?" He shook his head, "That's fucked up Karen. I trusted you, and you go and tell your little boyfriend? God, and to think I started to like you."  
  
He turned to Spike and said, "And you? We're family! And you do this to me? What's up with that? God, you are such an asshole Spike!"  
  
They all looked back at him with wide eyes. Finally, he took off upstairs and yelled, "Get out of my house! Now! And that means you too Spike!"  
  
* * * * *  
  
John stood up and said, "Boy, we've done some pretty messed up things, this club of ours. I guess once you've done things like that before, it's hard to believe us huh?"  
  
"What? That made no sense what so ever." Spike said harshly.  
  
"What I meant was, if I were him, I wouldn't believe us too."  
  
They stood around and waited for a few minutes. Finally, Eric said, "Let's leave him alone. I think that's what he needs." Spike watched as Jen and John started off, and watched as Karen walked over to Eric, and wrapped her arm around him.  
  
Spike's stomach clenched.  
  
"You guys go." She said.  
  
Spike did a double take, had she actually said for them to go. Or was that his hopeful ear, "What?"  
  
"Well, since you and Eric are best buds now, go spend time together. I'll check on Chris, seeing as how he blames me for this. And for what it's worth Eric, I believe you. I'm sure we all do, even Chris. He's just afraid. I'll see if I can talk to him."  
  
"No, I don't know I think you'd be the last person he'd want to see right now," Spike said, trying not to look too eager to be alone with Eric, "I mean we're family."  
  
Karen looked at him sincerely, "He thinks you betrayed him too. And it's worse when you're betrayed by family." Spike nodded slowly and said, "Fine. Just make sure he's OK."  
  
She gave him a warm smile and said, "Of course."  
  
She watched as they headed out the door, and thought, *I just hope it was a dream.*  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chris flopped on his bed. So much for making friends. They played him like a fool.  
  
He hated it here.  
  
And Karen!  
  
Oh, how he hated her right now. He just wanted to.leave. Go away.  
  
He could kill Karen. He'd actually confided in her. And God, she seemed to have liked him.  
  
Why the hell did this always, happen to him.  
  
He hated it. He always fell for the wrong girl. And he knew deep down, that despite his anger, he couldn't hate Karen.  
  
He liked her too much.  
  
It was pathetic really.  
  
And he was a bit ashamed. The first time he let down his guard, and the wall that he built, for a girl, and only to be played like a dumb kid.  
  
He turned on the radio and listened to the song. God damn it. It was a depressing song. Figures, he thought. He lay there and listened to the words as he let his thoughts wander on. It was the perfect song to describe this moment.  
  
What was he going to do now? Was he just going to walk into to school friendless?  
  
No family either.  
  
Spike.  
  
How could he? God, and to think I was there for him. He turned back and heard a rap on the door. "Go away," he said. The person walked in anyway.  
  
"Chris we need to talk."  
  
Chris turned around and said, "About what? Oh I know, how about how you're a crazy, maniacal, snotty, pretentious, back stabbing, cold hearted, cynical."  
  
"Coming off with a lot of adjectives much?"  
  
"Bitch," he finished harshly. She looked away and said, "I didn't tell him anything. I swear."  
  
"Why don't I believe you?"  
  
"Because you have trust issues?"  
  
He thought for a moment and then said, "That's besides the point."  
  
"Because you're afraid."  
  
He was silent.  
  
"Because you think that they're going to think you're crazy, and they're going to send you back there." She walked over to him, as he slumped into his chair.  
  
"How do you know me so well?"  
  
"I don't know. I just.I just can read people sometimes. It's like a sixth sense. Sometimes I'm dead wrong, that's most of the time, but.you, it's as if we were together in another life or something. Destiny." She chuckled. "Do you believe in destiny?"  
  
"Um.yeah I guess. I believe some things are supposed to happen, and when they do it's for a reason."  
  
"Yeah, me too." She looked out the window. He saw how the sun reflected off her brown hair, showing glints of red, and he saw how the soft rays of sunlight beamed on her skin, and watched as she moved a few strands of hair behind her ear.  
  
She was.perfect.  
  
If he hadn't forgiven her already, he did now.  
  
What was it about her that made him weak?  
  
He stood up and said, "Thanks for coming." She smiled at him, "Of course," she said. She looked behind him at the radio when a song came on. "Oh, I love this song."  
  
"'I'll Remember You?' Are you for real?"  
  
"I know it's an oldie, but it's really sweet."  
  
"No, I mean I love this song too. It's one of my favorites."  
  
She smiled at him. Suddenly he was filled with a sudden urge to grab her. "I don't want to seem weird," he said, "but would you like to dance? Every time I hear it I just feel like dancing with a beautiful girl."  
  
She blushed, and said, "Me?"  
  
"No, the one behind you. Of course you." She walked over to him, and he put his hands on her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck, and looked him in the eyes. "You are so strange. I've never met anyone like you before. You're not like other boys," she said.  
  
He smiled at her as they danced and waited for a beat and said, "Yes I am." He searched her eyes, and slowly, he moved in for a kiss. She didn't put up a fight to stop him. Suddenly there was a door slam, and someone yelled, "Chris," from downstairs, right before their lips touched.  
  
He desperately wanted to kiss her, but if this wasn't fate telling them something, then it was just a case of God fucking with them.  
  
He pulled away, and took a step back and said, "You better go. My mom will blow a gasket."  
  
"Yeah, I-I should." She slowly picked up her purse, and headed downstairs, passing Marsha, who rushed upstairs.  
  
"Chris what the hell is going on?"  
  
* * * * *  
  
Karen slowly walked outside and crossed the street to her home.  
  
What had just happened? Sure, she liked the guy, but that wasn't supposed to happen.  
  
She was with Eric. She shouldn't have let him.almost kiss her. She should have put up a fight or at least pulled away before the crashing doorbell of fate rang. She thanked God that Mrs. Collins came home when she did.  
  
She leaned against the beam and put her hand on her forehead.  
  
This wasn't supposed to happen.  
  
She and Eric were supposed to be high school sweethearts.  
  
They were supposed to be Homecoming King and Queen every year. Prom King and Queen Junior and Senior year. They were supposed to go to college and still be together. They were supposed to be in love. Why wasn't she? Why did being with Chris feel so.right?  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Well?" Chris's mother said impatiently.  
  
"Well, me and a few of my friends came to have a meeting thing.and we got in a fight, and well.we weren't doing anything!" He said.  
  
"What? Oh, no not that!" She grabbed his arm, and rolled up his sleeve, "This!" Chris pulled away fast and rolled his sleeve down.  
  
"I don't know. I got cut."  
  
"Where?" She said.  
  
"I-in class."  
  
"How?"  
  
"I don't know. I was asleep, and then when I woke up, boom cuts."  
  
"You haven't been taking the hypnosil."  
  
"Yes I have."  
  
"Then why the hell have you been having nightmares in class?"  
  
"How did you."  
  
"A teacher of yours called me. Told me you had a blow out in class. They thought you were a cutter."  
  
"Why would they think that?"  
  
"You have four fucking cuts on your forearm, where the hell do you think they'd get that?"  
  
"I am not."  
  
"I know.but, you have to take the medicine. You know that when you dream, something awful happens to you. The last time."  
  
"Don't go there. I've been trying real hard to be Mr. Happy Sunshine, but I can't take it. Something's going on with this town, and I have no idea what the hell it is." His mother looked away.  
  
"Mom, is there something you're not telling me?" She was silent. "Mom?" Again, she was silent. Finally, he violently said, "MOM! Tell me what the FUCK is going on!"  
  
"Don't you dare take that tone of voice with me young man, I'm you mother."  
  
"Then tell me what's up."  
  
She said, "Fine. Let me go change, and meet me downstairs. I wish it never had to come to this. But he has to know. She slowly walked outside the room leaving Chris confused.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Spike and Eric walked into Eric's home. "He was really pissed." Spike said as he flopped onto the couch.  
  
"Why?"  
  
"Oh come on, you know the rep you and your little Scooby Gang have. Torment the new kid, and then humiliate him. How the hell do you think he'd react to this? A cheap shot at him. He's not had an easy life like you have."  
  
"Easy life?"  
  
"You know what I meant." Eric sighed, "Yeah I guess you're right. What did happen to him to make him freak like that."  
  
"His brother died. And someone tried to kill him," Spike said softly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"It's a long story."  
  
"We got all the time in the world." Spike looked at him softly and said, "Fine. But if he knew I was telling you this, he'd kill me. Not to mention not trust me even more."  
  
"I won't tell."  
  
"Good."  
  
* * * * *  
  
"What the hell was his problem?" Jen shouted as she landed firmly on John's bed, as John sat on his desk chair. "How should I know? We have done some messed up shit. Like the guy with the clothes hanger. And the kid we said was prime meat for retention because the principal didn't like him."  
  
"But, this time we didn't do anything."  
  
"The boy who cried wolf."  
  
"What?"  
  
"We've done crap like this, and joke about it, not taking it seriously. And finally when we do, all that other shit bites us in the ass and no one believes us."  
  
"Oh, well quit with the fucking allusion or whatever the hell that was."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"God could he be more pretentious."  
  
"No, he was actually kind of.sweet."  
  
"Sweet?"  
  
"Nice is what I meant. He really cares about people."  
  
"Oh, well.that's great I guess," she said a bit wearily. *God, if he turns gay I'll kill myself. *  
  
"Well, what do we do? Do you believe Eric?" John said looking at Jen on the bed.  
  
"Don't fall asleep I guess. I mean how hard is it right? Just take coffee, or some fucking coke, and those caffeine pills 'Stay Awake,' or whatever."  
  
"Yeah, I guess." He said a bit distractingly.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chris sat in his dark and dank living room waiting for his mother to tell him whatever secrets she was keeping from him. He thought everything there was to know about his family. Just goes to show how little you know about people. Even family. He sighed and looked at the clock. It was late. His eyes began to droop, and become heavier, leaving it almost impossible for him to stay awake.  
  
He stood up, and grabbed a coke from the refrigerator, and went to the pantry and pulled out a vile of medicine. He looked closely at the tiny bottle, that was labeled, "Hypnosil," and wondered why it stopped working. But to make his mother feel better, he took the medicine.  
  
It had been a long day. And with all this going on with Eric and the others,.he didn't know what to do, or who to believe, or even what to believe. His mind was full of thoughts on everything, it was hard to think clearly.  
  
He slowly walked back into the living room, where his mother was already waiting. He climbed into the couch next to her, and sighed. "So what's this secret."  
  
"It's not so much a secret, but.why we're here."  
  
"Cause dad got offered a job here."  
  
She nodded her head and said, "This is going to be hard to explain."  
  
He chuckled a bit and said, "Mom, just tell me."  
  
"What do you know about this town?"  
  
"Um.it's in Ohio. A hell of a long way from Los Angeles. Um.one thing I keep hearing about is this Freddy Krueger fuck, who cut up little kids back in the day, and some whacked out teenagers on crack said he came back to kill them in their dreams because their parents torched the fucker in his boiler room. What a lovely town you and dad chose to come live in."  
  
She looked at him, "What else."  
  
"Well.for a long while this place wasn't really a town after that. Some sort of psychos everywhere. No one was making sense, and then they were put in a home or something, right? And they started building the town again right?"  
  
"Pretty much," she said direly.  
  
"Mom, what's with the dire. Who died."  
  
"N-no one. What else do you know about this Krueger person?"  
  
"Well, just that he was a child murderer, and torched like I said."  
  
"He had a daughter."  
  
"Wow, fucked up kid. I'd hate to be his kid." He chuckled a little more.  
  
"He's your great-great-grandfather."  
  
Chris had to do a double take. He looked at his mother, and squinted hard. "My what?"  
  
"When Krueger was torched, as you said, in the boiler room, they took away his daughter, and put her in an orphanage because he had murdered the mother. She was adopted, and moved out of this town. She got married, and had a son, and he had a daughter, who had two sons."  
  
She had said it so coolly, so calm and collected. Who was she? Was this really his mother? Why had she said it so nonchalant? She knew about this place the whole time, and she didn't tell him? Warn him? "What the hell mom! Why didn't you tell me! Why did we come back here? Just so you could tell me that I'm the fucking offspring of a son of a hundred maniacs?"  
  
"Where did you hear that?"  
  
Where did I hear that? He didn't know. He honestly didn't. It just came to him. A little voice told him so. That scared him. A lot. "I don't know. I just sort of.knew."  
  
"Sweetie I wanted to tell you, but that was a long time ago. And if you knew I thought that it'd just make things harder on you."  
  
"Why cause I'd find out that lunatics run in the family? Gee, mom I'd find out eventually. I can't believe you and dad."  
  
"Why did we come here then?"  
  
"Your father wasn't given this position just recently."  
  
"W-what?"  
  
"When you were little, we got a call from the mayor. He wanted to revamp the town. He heard that your father was talented, and was in need of extra work. So he accepted."  
  
"So he."  
  
"Over saw, and built the plans for most of this new town. This town is your father's life work."  
  
"I don't believe this. I can't."  
  
"Honey, I know."  
  
"Don't honey me. You knew about the nightmares didn't you? That this town was known for odd nightmares, with strange happenings. Like the stuff that happened back home to me. And you stuck me in that place? Where they told me I was crazy cause, I kept almost getting killed by some fuck in my dreams? He's real mom. Real. Granpappy is awful mad, and hungry. And it looks like me and my friends are the main course. I don't fucking believe you! You fucking killed me! I-I.hate you." He exclaimed seething with anger.  
  
"Chris.please, I know I should have told you, but me and your fa-"  
  
"No," he stood up and grabbed his jacket, "from now on I have no father. Or mother. I'm Chris. I live in a house with Marsha and Guillermo. That's all. I have no family here. It's just a living space."  
  
"Chris, you can't be serious," she said frazzled, and afraid. She lost one son, she wasn't going to lose another. "He can't hurt you, he won't. He's dead, and you're family!"  
  
"Well, he had a fucking ball when he cut me the fuck up!" He showed her his forearm again.  
  
"Chris!"  
  
"Don't." He stormed out shutting the door behind him with a giant slam, making his mother cringe, and fall to her knees. Tears streamed down her face and she collapsed and cried out in anguish, "I'm sorry!" 


	5. Sorrow

A Nightmare on Elm Street: Harvest of Souls  
  
Chapter Four: Sorrow  
  
By: Fernando Rangel  
  
Chris silently walked down the sidewalk of his house. He stood right in front of Karen's home. He silently walked toward the house, not knowing what to do with the information he just received. He stood in front of the door, not knowing whether to knock, or just leave. He slowly turned around, and walked away.  
  
He took a breath and thought, Fuck it.  
  
He looked out and saw the car in the driveway, and the keys were still in the ignition in his driveway. He ran over to it and jumped in. The family car-for use when they needed it. This was definitely a time that Chris needed it. He revved up the engine, and screeched out of the driveway in a puff of smoke.  
  
Marsha ran out of the house, and watched as the car drove off, shouting his name.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chris strangely walked out of the car, and straight for the club bouncer, who was oddly enough a woman. He could have sworn that it was a man the night before. He slowly walked up, trudging as if he had uncovered some newly found sort of self-confidence.  
  
The bouncer looked at him and frowned. She was tall and thin, hardly a candidate for a bouncer. But hey, she could be some sort of Buffy, he didn't know. He stood there at the entrance and waited to be let in. "ID," she said flatly.  
  
He sighed. She looked at him when he made no move to show her ID. Finally, he said, "So are you going to let me in or not?"  
  
"ID," she repeated again.  
  
"Fine," he turned around and started off, "I'll go to the new club downtown. They let anyone in."  
  
"New club?"  
  
"Yeah, the covers less, and like I said they let anyone in."  
  
She sighed. "Fine, you can come in." He grinned at her, and started inside. When he got near her he said, "Thanks Sweetie, I always knew I liked you," and gave her a kiss on the cheek, and continued as she stared back at him, with her hand on her cheek.  
  
He strutted inside, and watched as the crowd opened for him, letting him inside the dance floor. *Where do you go to let off some steam? If you're a teen-a club. *  
  
He moved onto the dance floor, and danced by himself as he scoped the dance floor, until finally, he moved toward a girl and started to dance behind her, and she went with it, and he moved on. He closed his eyes, and danced by himself again. Suddenly someone grabbed him and he just went with it. They dance together, his eyes still closed when the music stopped and he looked at whom he was dancing with.  
  
The room was silent now, no music. The people that had flourished and were lively dancing were now non-existent. It was as if they had never been there at all. He looked at the person in front of him and gasped as he pulled away. "What the hell are you doing here?" Her eye shot open, "Me what the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be John. Not psycho Chris."  
  
Chris looked at her and snidely said, "Well, do I look like John? So why the hell did you grab me?"  
  
"Like I said, usually when this happens John is the one who I have my hands on his.and then I wrap my arms around his neck and we eventually kiss, and then it goes into this."  
  
"Jen," he interrupted, "shut the hell up."  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"We're fucking asleep!"  
  
"Yeah, so?"  
  
"God damn it. This is fucking real. Not a joke."  
  
"Look, I only went with that shitty story of Eric's because John did. And if it made John feel better, to know what was happening, I was glad. But this is going to extremes. Now I'm dreaming about you, trying to convince me that the big bad ole boogie man is real."  
  
Chris let out a frustrated sigh and pinched her, "Ow!"  
  
"Do you hurt in dreams?"  
  
Suddenly there was a loud scream coming from behind them.  
  
"Oh shit!" She exclaimed.  
  
"Fuck Krueger." He said aloud.  
  
"No shit Sherlock, and that was John with him. We have to help him."  
  
Chris stopped her as the chuckle began to fill the room. "No, we got to get out of here."  
  
"No, I am not going to leave here, without John." She said with determination in her voice.  
  
Suddenly they were flung into the wall. Jen stood up, and shook her head a bit. "What the."  
  
Freddy grabbed her neck and laughed.  
  
"I'm not afraid of you! Where the hell is John!"  
  
"You'll be joining him soon," he said snidely. Suddenly he was jumped from behind, and he let her loose. Chris shot up and watched as John began punching Freddy repeatedly until he was slashed in the chest and thrown to the floor. Freddy walked over to him, and flicked his glove making the ever-famous spine tingling sound.  
  
Right when he stood over the bleeding John, Freddy suddenly busted into crazed laughter and a shriek came from behind, "No!"  
  
Her feet pounded as she ran for Freddy, who swung around and with one swift motion, stabbed her hard in the gut. Her eyes bulged and her mouth filled with blood as he held her head, putting it on his shoulder saying, "There, there, you're dead now." And suddenly let her drop to the floor, as she slid off his sharpened knives.  
  
Chris came from behind and kicked him to the wall. He was amazed it actually worked.  
  
John stood up and ran to her, "Jen!" He kneeled down next to her and swooped her into his arms and cradled her, "Jen."  
  
She looked him in the eyes and cupped his cheek and said, "I-I couldn't let him kill  
  
you.I.I.love.you." she said as her breath subdued near the end, and her body went limp.  
  
"Jen.Jen!" He cradled her body, and rocked it. Chris heard the pounding and went to him and said, "Come on!"  
  
"No," he protested.  
  
"Come on she didn't give up her life, her love for you so you could just throw it away. That's not what she would have wanted. Now come the fuck on!" John reluctantly stood up, and started to run with Chris. He heard the pounding and the chuckling behind him. Suddenly the scene changed and they were in the boiler room again. They stopped. Chris circled around. "We're trapped," John said.  
  
Chris looked at the steaming hot pipes and said, "Not exactly." He looked at John and then looked at the pipes. "Are you serious? This isn't a fucking movie!"  
  
"What have we got to lose?"  
  
"Our lives?"  
  
"We've already lost that."  
  
John was silent and said, "I won't be able to do it."  
  
"So I'll do it for you." He quickly grabbed John's arm, and he placed their arms on the red hot metal pipes. They both let out excruciating screams of pain.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The car hissed as steam poured out of the front of the car like smoke from a fire. Chris had fallen asleep at the wheel, and the car now found it's home wrapped around a light poll. Chris' eyes opened wide as he let out a horrid scream from the pain on his arm, he checked it quickly. A bloody burn was there, he had successfully exited the dream, and not a moment too soon. His head pounded with pain, he wiped his forehead and saw no blood, which was a good sign.  
  
His eyes finally turned to see John and he immediately flung into distress mode. Next to him, the whole passenger's side of the car was smashed in. The door and the dashboard smashed into John, he wasn't awake either. He was still in the dream.  
  
"Shit! John! John, can you hear me? Oh god... shit, I'm going to get you out of that place John, jus-just hold on!" Chris reached under the compacted seat and felt for the lever to pull back the seat that would give him enough room to slide John out and wake him up. If he didn't, then great-great grandpappy would have another one of his friends. Surprisingly enough, he thought of them as friends now and Chris knew he'd rather die then loose another one of them.  
  
* * * * *  
  
John's eyes fluttered open as he walked. His footsteps were what had shaken him from the sleep, and he was surprised he was walking. Suddenly he stopped and looked around, and he looked down at his arm. The burn was there, but where was he? Trees to the left of him, trees to the right of him. "We're not in Kansas anymore Toto..." he said with a sneer. His thoughts rushed through his mind like a train going over the speed limit.  
  
Jen was dead.  
  
The thought, the memory, the pain, it all hit him at once.  
  
He began to cry, his body went numb and he crashed to his knees, which hit the ground and then hit metal.  
  
John looked up, the forest was long gone and now he was in a huge boiler room. He got to his feet, and he looked at his burn just to make sure, and found nothing.  
  
His heart jumped-he hadn't woken up!  
  
Wiping his tears away, he tried to focus on his new surroundings. A hiss of steam blasted his back and boiled his skin, his vocal cords tightened as he screamed and ran from the pain.  
  
He tried to put it out of his mind as he ran, the pain slowly drifted away into a range where he could bare with it and still searched for some way to get out of this place before he ended up dead...like Jen.  
  
"John..." someone said. The voice was so familiar; it sent chills down his spine and made his skin crawl. He froze in his steps and turned around slowly, his eyes sealed shut in fear.  
  
Slowly, he opened them to see her.  
  
Jen stood in the distance, ghostly white and yet looked normal. She had a hand to her stomach and the other stretched out, trying to touch him with a longing in her eyes. "Help me John... why didn't you help me," she exclaimed. She released her stomach and crimson blood and insides poured out and hit the floor with a wet slosh.  
  
John's eyes began to tear up, "You-you're not real!" He shook his head and ran off crying but slammed into Freddy Krueger.  
  
"What's the matter? Didn't you love her?" Freddy caressed John's cheek with his glove. "Of course you did Johnny... but just not enough to save her I guess!"  
  
John was turned around quickly as Freddy laughed and his eyes met with a rotting Jen. "You didn't love me!" Suddenly, out of Jen's mouth poured thousands of baby spiders.  
  
They all began to jump onto John as he screamed from the sheer horror of it all. Jen's image was gone but the spiders were still there, and he ran around shaking and brushing them off but they kept digging deeper and deeper into his skin.  
  
John shrieked louder and louder as each spider nestled deeply into his flesh. He looked down to his skin and saw their black bodies burrowing in deeper and deeper into his skin, and he began to try to smash them inside of him.  
  
"Oh god," he repeated over and over as he looked all over his body. The marks were growing into big black marks.  
  
He could feel them, the pain inside of him as they grew and began to crawl deeper inside him. He slammed down to his knees again and scratched his skin to the point where he was ripping off the top layer of his skin, and he looked upwards and let out a blood-curdling scream.  
  
Suddenly, the spiders ripped out of him. John screamed in agony as the now giant black widows secreted from his skin and began to release more and more little spiders from inside him. "This isn't real! THIS ISN'T REA-", John screamed, but he choked on his words as the legs of a huge spider, bigger then the rest exited his mouth. He gagged as a giant black widow, almost bigger then a rabbit, crawled out of his mouth. He hit the spider and then began to hit and smash the rest in a mix of anger and fear.  
  
The giant black widow hit the ground and turned around as John looked straight into its slimy eyes.  
  
They blinked, John looked towards its mouth and saw that two dagger like fangs extended from it. "No.No!" John screamed covering himself as the widow tackled him and sunk its fangs into him as the little black widows did the same.  
  
The pain of the fangs and the poison sent John into a coma, he fell to the ground and convulsed wildly as his skin turned darker and darker. His eyes began to take shape and exploded right in his skull and from the eye sockets, poured millions of more spiders.  
  
As Freddy re-appeared onto the metal walkway once again, John's body ripped open as millions of more little spiders crawled out of his dried up, hollow husk of a body. He laid there with his mouth open in pain and his skin like a dry leaf.  
  
Freddy's burned face showed a wicked grinned and said, "Love hurts..."  
  
* * * * *  
  
The night before had seemed so far away now. As though it hadn't really happened, only it had.  
  
He knew it had.  
  
Here he was. In black. Sitting down in a chair in the cemetery as the priest said the eulogy for Jen and John.  
  
The day was oddly sweet, and the air even sweeter. Weren't funerals supposed to be depressing? Raining and all that crap? Why was the sun shining so brightly, shouldn't it be dull and dank.  
  
Thunderstorms and lightning?  
  
Someone died, and the sun was shining. It was like a bad retro-television show.  
  
Chris looked to Karen as she wept into her handkerchief and Eric as he held her in his arms, and he watched as Spike watched from next to him with pain in his eyes.  
  
*Poison, * he thought, *that's what got him. Who the hell knows how? *  
  
The police had given him the alibi. He didn't have to make anything up, they told him what he needed. John was stung by something, and Chris just happened by and was trying to get him to the hospital when something got in the road and he swerved.  
  
He didn't know what it was with this town. It seemed like they'd believe anything they want to. Even if they are, the ones who create their safe bubble to protect themselves from whatever reality might be out there.  
  
Pitiful really and sadly Chris knew that all too well.  
  
The delusions of pseudo-quasi-happiness of a normal life.  
  
But he knew better than to conform to something as pretentious as that. It wasn't as though he asked for any of this to happen.  
  
It was as if this followed him everywhere.  
  
First in LA, then here. It was as if he had always been running away from something. Even when Ben had been around, although he had always felt safe with his big brother around, his rock. His savior.  
  
But he was gone.  
  
Dead and he couldn't be there for him now.  
  
Chris was on his own.  
  
All he had left were his friends, and God knew he wasn't going to give up without a fight. He knew that this was going to be the only way. He had to find a way to stop him. It was only him. He was alone in this. Eric, Spike, and Karen would have to trust him. They would have to.leave him be, and let him die if came to that point. They were going to live, one way or another.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Eric watched as Chris sat alone, pondering the events that had past, and watched as Spike looked at him.  
  
He gave him a look, and Spike turned his attention to Chris.  
  
Chris looked lost.  
  
That was all he could think of, he looked lost, and alone.  
  
He wondered what it had been like for him in that place. The psychiatric ward. He couldn't even begin to imagine what it was like in there. He felt for the kid. Anyone, who could survive that, could beat anything. He looked away and thought, *Even burned up boogiemen.* He sighed and kissed Karen on the cheek.  
  
What he learned was that this wasn't going to be an easy life, and it wasn't always going to be easy. There were bumps.big ones. And you have to keep fighting no matter what. He couldn't tip toe around anymore afraid of being caught. Life was too short, and he knew that. It was time he was truthful to himself, and to Karen. She didn't deserve being misled. He loved her, just not the way she wanted him to be. The way she wanted him to feel for her, he felt for Spike and there was nothing denying that, except for maybe him. It was time to stop being afraid, to stop trying to be so "normal" all the time. He didn't care anymore. He was in love with Spike, and he'd shout it at the top of his lungs, on the highest mountain. If anything were to happen to Spike.he didn't know what he'd do, or if life would be the same without him. He didn't want to think about it. He just knew that he was tired of the hiding, and it was time to come clean, it was time to move on. But he had to tell Karen first. That was going to be difficult, especially now that they'd lost John and Jen. Her losing him.that would send her in a spiral.but it was something that he had to do.  
  
He looked at Spike and smiled reassuringly, telling him that things were going to be good. That things would get better.  
  
But as he looked at Chris, he knew something big was happening, and that Chris was planning. Murder and vengeance were in his eyes, and he was a force driven by something more powerful than Krueger could stop. And that made him feel.safe.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chris stood up and slowly watched as everyone stood and slowly walked back to their cars.  
  
He lowered to his knees and knelt before the tombstones.  
  
*I'm sorry, * he thought.  
  
He wished hard that he could turn back the clock.  
  
To do something then just stand there and let him take her.  
  
Maybe if he had helped her, John would still be here.  
  
Maybe they'd be together.  
  
They're were so many "maybes" floating through his head now a days.  
  
He tightened his eyelids and tried to suppress the inevitable. It was just too much, all at once. Things weren't supposed to be like this. They weren't supposed to be this hard.  
  
He should be partying, and having fun. Going to the beach. Hanging out and going to movies. Not wondering which of his friends were going to die tonight. He wasn't supposed to be Buffy or something.  
  
He sobbed.  
  
Life wasn't supposed to end at sixteen.  
  
It wasn't fair.  
  
None of it.  
  
John and Jen should have had a chance.  
  
"'It was fate my child," someone said from behind.  
  
"Fuck fate," he said looking at the nun with his "bite me" face.  
  
"It's all a game to him." She left her hands in front of her as she stared at him.  
  
"Tell me about it.wait.how do you." he started a bit flabbergasted.  
  
"You must destroy him. You must defeat him." She warned.  
  
"How?" He said a bit crazed, pleading with the hold woman.  
  
"Chris!" He turned sharply. Karen, Eric, and Spike were waiting for him. "What're you doing?" Eric asked.  
  
"I was." he turned back and looked at the empty space that the nun had once occupied, "talking to someone." He turned around and gave them a confused look.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Spike sat alone in John's back yard, he wasn't exactly a people person, and he'd rather just be alone with his thoughts.  
  
Well, not totally alone.  
  
It was real.  
  
All of it.  
  
It wasn't just some figment of a person's imagination. It was all real. It was a scary thought that he could die in his sleep, before he could even live. He looked at the sky and hoped to God that Jen and John were in a better place. That's all he hoped. And that they didn't hate them, for not doing anything. For not being there.  
  
He knew Chris felt worse. Especially since John was with him. He couldn't possibly understand what he was going through. He also couldn't help but think that Chris was hiding something. Something that he chose not to share with the rest of the remaining group.  
  
*Secrets, * he thought.  
  
That's what seemed to encompass their lives.  
  
Secrets.  
  
Especially in Spike and Eric's lives. He twitched when he felt warm arms wrap around him, and a chin on his head. Eric, he thought. He pulled away and looked up. "What're you doing?"  
  
"What I can't hug my boyfriend?" Spike looked around as people stared at them, family and friends.his family, his friends. "Are you crazy? Your parents are here?" Eric smiled sneakily. "You know you're very dense sometimes you know that?"  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"But I love you anyway," then he grabbed Spike's tie and gave him a kiss on the lips catching Spike surprise. Spike was tense for the first ten seconds and then melted into his arms. He hoped to God Karen wasn't watching, this was just too good. His heart beat as it never had.or well had, just never in public before.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Karen sat alone in the living room. She was surprised everyone was outside joking and having a barbecue.or sort of barbecue. She wiped away a few more tears. She was just remembering about their 5th grade play, she chuckled, John had been the evil tartar, and Jen had been the hero, Madam Toothpaste. She remembered them in their costumes.and their horrible acting. She gushed again. They were gone. And never coming back. That wasn't something that was supposed to happen. John should be going to Harvard, being a teacher, or lawyer, or something! Jen should be his wife! Not dead in a burial ground some place.  
  
She felt warm arms around her. She smiled to herself and said, "Thank you."  
  
"No problem. You Ok?"  
  
"Considering."  
  
"I'm going to get him. I swear."  
  
She smiled to herself, "Always the protector. Looking out for others huh?"  
  
"Well.it's pretty much time I started." She looked up in his eyes; she could see how sincere he was. She saw the pain in his eyes, and she could see his determination to do them right. She knew they'd be all right. She turned and hugged him, "I can't believe they're gone," she sobbed deep into his chest. He slowly closed his eyes, and his heart began to race. She was torturing him. His chin trembled; he hated when someone cried near him.it always made him cry too. A tear escaped his tightened eyelid. He swallowed and kissed her on the forehead.  
  
Slowly he looked outside as a crowd stared at Spike and Eric. He felt for Karen, and slowly let her go. "Karen," she looked at him, and he craned his neck toward the "show." She slowly turned and saw what she had dreaded the most. Her eyes closed, and streams of tears fell. Rivers in a drought could be filled with her tears. Her heart sank. She felt even emptier inside.  
  
She covered her face with her hands and ran outside. Chris sighed and followed her out. He chased her to her car where she tripped over her shoe, and sobbed on the ground. He kneeled down and hugged her. "I knew it! I just knew it," she exclaimed angrily, or somberly.she couldn't tell anymore.  
  
"I'm so sorry," he said trying to comfort her.  
  
"Why can't anyone I love stay? Do they all just have a meeting and say, 'let's leave Karen at the same time!' Am I so horrible that I am deemed unworthy of love?" She sobbed even more, "Why doesn't he love me?"  
  
He laid her head on his shoulders and sighed, "That's just the way it goes. I wouldn't worry about anyone not loving you. I happen to have it on good authority there's someone crushing on you," he said softly.  
  
She scoffed, "Yeah, who? Mr. Boogie Man?"  
  
"No, but close," he sighed, and looked her in the eyes, "me." She looked at him a little longer, amazed by his response. He helped her up, and led her to her car. Once inside, she kissed him on the cheek, and whispered thank you in his ear. He slowly backed away as the car sped off.  
  
* * * * *  
  
They sat in Spike's living room in silence. No one knew what to say.  
  
Chris sat there, wondering how Karen was doing, watching as her ex- boyfriend sat next to his boyfriend, holding hands in front of her. Whether it bothered her tremendously, or whether they'd talked last night.so many questions.  
  
Eric sat there with Spike, too afraid to start talking. Finally, she spoke up, "So how do we kill this fucker?"  
  
Chris breathed slowly and said, "I don't know. How do we kill evil?" He took a deep breath. "I-we.did research last night." Spike finally uttered. Karen looked at him and coolly replied, "And what'd you find?" Eric sighed and said, "There's a pattern. It starts with one, and spreads sort of like a disease."  
  
Karen nodded her head and said, "And?"  
  
"Well, we also found a website. Kind of scary really."  
  
"What was it?" Chris asked.  
  
"Someone has built a website devoted to Freddy survivors."  
  
"What?"  
  
"They're diaries of the first victims, Nancy Thomson, Kristin, Kincaid, all of them."  
  
"What did it say?"  
  
"What he looked like, what he did. How they destroyed him."  
  
"How did they."  
  
Eric looked at Spike who said, "Different ways. Nancy took away the energy she gave him, and some doctor guy buried his bones, another made him look at himself in a mirror. Different ways. And he kept coming."  
  
"What does he want?"  
  
"Well, mostly revenge, but he also is collecting souls, that's how he gets his power." Spike looked away. Karen stood up and walked over to the window.  
  
"This is crazy shit. Someone has given the world a website for Freddy. Gives us bits and pieces of our lives now. But how the fuck do we kill him. For good. Seems like they've tried everything."  
  
"Unless we get him on him on his own territory," Chris said.  
  
They looked at him, "What?"  
  
"We have to play on his court, come up with a plan. That's the only way. Find someone who survived, someone who can help us."  
  
Chris was fidgeting. "Chris what's wrong?" Spike walked over to him and placed his hand on his shoulder. Karen whipped around, "Yeah, is there something wrong?"  
  
His eyes tightened. Should he tell them? That he was the cause of all this somehow. That his great-great grandfather was killing them off one by one?  
  
"No, I'm fine.as fine can be." He slowly walked to the door and said, "Go back to the site, look for some names, and then check local listings, maybe someone is still here. I'm going to go someplace, be right back."  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"To see a teacher." Karen rushed over to him and quietly said, "Come back to me." She gave him a half smile. He smiled and whispered, "I promise." And kissed her.  
  
Once he was out the door, Karen turned around facing Spike and Eric.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Sarah Berg slowly entered the mediocre apartment. Things were definitely different. Something was different about this place. She just couldn't put her finger on it.  
  
She stretched out, and yawned big.  
  
She saw the mess in the kitchen and thought, "So much for rest and relaxation." She smiled dejectedly.  
  
She walked over to the sink, and soaked the dishes in hot water. She yawned again and slowly turned on the faucet. Suddenly she couldn't let go. She looked at her hands, and the handles of the sink were holding her.glued to her hand. It hurt to struggle loose. The meat of her skin began to tear and break. She could see the skin stretching, the goop of blood began to run into the murky water and finally in one jerk she was free.  
  
She screamed and withered in pain, her hands bled on the floor, rivers of blood pooled on the floor.  
  
Then, quick as lightning, Freddy came in chuckling at the blond girl. He squatted down. "Have fun in domestic bliss?" She looked at him horrified and he quickly stood up, and rammed his foot into her skull. It was a bloody mush. Suddenly and blue fluorescent light shone from the girl, and levitated into the air, lifting from the girls body, and was sucked into Freddy. "Lucky 133." He laughed to himself, and said, "Soon no one sleeps."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Spike and Eric furiously typed on the computer, searching for known survivors of the Elm Street kids. So far no luck, it seemed as though he managed to kill them all off. Which wasn't really much of a reassurance. It definitely scared the hell out of them. Spike turned and stared at Karen alone on the couch staring at the TV. "Maybe you should talk to her?"  
  
"Huh," Eric said looking up, "Oh, no. She's fine."  
  
"You are clueless. Look at the body language." Eric studied her, tight, shoulders clenched and frustrated brow. "Oh shit."  
  
"Duh, now go. Talk. Care." He kissed him on the cheek and said, "I'll work here."  
  
"Oh sure, send me in with no weapons," he muttered. He cautiously walked over to her and said, "Hey." She was silent. He sat down next to her, and she slid away. "You mad?"  
  
"What gave it away?" She said sarcastically and bitter.  
  
"Look, I'm sorry."  
  
"You're sorry?" Her voice rose. "You're sorry! No, I'm sorry. Sorry for dating an asshole, for falling in love with someone who was just using me as a cover because he was really in love with 'defacto freak' over there!" She yelled pointing at Spike, who looked at her a bit hurt. "Tell me Eric, was it fun? Huh, did you get a little warm and fuzzy seeing me fawn over you and pine, and love you? Did you and Spike have a big ole laugh when you were.together? 'Stupid Karen, she doesn't suspect.' You're right. I didn't. You could've fooled me. Oh, wait a minute you did."  
  
Eric cringed. Spike looked out the window. "Don't play innocent victim here Eric, or you Spike, you should have been straight.real with me from the start. You shouldn't have played it like it was some fucking game, as if I was this little plaything for you to use whenever you wanted. Do you know how many guys I turned down for you? For you Eric! If you wanted Spike you should've just said so, and I would have understood. You didn't have go through this whole shit!"  
  
She sighed and put her hands on her forehead and angrily exclaimed, "Ooh, I'm so pissed at you both right now, but I can't be because I know how hard it must be already for you." She said flopping down. "You should have just told me Eric. Instead, you made me look like a fool. And I bet all because you wanted to save your image as 'Mr. Badassfootballplayer.' That was wrong of you and you know it." She was silent. Eric stood up and said, "I'm sorry." She was right.  
  
He went over to Spike and they continued to work on the task at hand. Even though both their hearts sank and were full of pain.  
  
Suddenly, ever so softly, they heard, "So have you found anything yet?"  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chris slowly walked through the corridor of his high school. It was darker, and seemed bigger. He turned and knocked on Mr. Hinojosa's door. He stepped in but no one was in. He sighed and sat down in a desk. After waiting for thirty minutes, he stood up and began to leave when he knocked down some papers. He bent over to pick things up when he found a book that read, "The Physical Effects of Nightmares." He put the papers back, and slowly sat down and began reading.  
  
From behind, he felt a hand; he whipped around and saw the nun. "You? Do you make it a habit of sneaking up on people?" She smiled warmly at him and said, "No I come to give you answers my child. Answers you won't find in that book." Chris looked at her, "Great, cause I need a lot of them."  
  
"You want to know why."  
  
"I know why. He's out for revenge."  
  
"No, that was an excuse. It meant something to him in the beginning."  
  
"In the beginning?"  
  
"Yes, his direction has changed. He's out for more than revenge, he hardly even cares about that now."  
  
"But then why."  
  
"He's harvesting."  
  
"Harvesting?"  
  
"Souls." Chris looked at her in surprise. "So what he's saving them up for a rainy day?" She looked at him bewildered and said, "Not exactly."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Eric and Karen sat at the computer searching for some shred of hope. Spike sat in a chair by the window and watched as the rain hit the windowsill. He watched as Karen and Eric worked together, differences aside. It made him happy. He blinked. He shook his head. Oh no, I'm not tired. Suddenly his eyes began to droop and get heavy. The next thing he knew he was in Dreamland.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Karen and Eric whipped around when they heard a thud on the floor. "Oh shit!" Eric exclaimed as they ran over to Spike's body on the floor. "No, no he can't sleep. He took those StaWake pills, and not to mention a whole pot of coffee!" Eric and Karen hovered over him and shook him. Come on Spike, fight the fucker, you can be strong. You can get out of this. Eric needs you.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chris absentmindedly walked down the lawn of Spike's place. He was in shock. End of the world. That was it. It wasn't about him, or them. Or those of the past. It was about power. About controlling and killing everyone. Dreams. That was what got to everyone. That was what struck people at the core. Nightmares of horrible things, of self-loathing, of monsters and demons-the embodiment of horrors from your childhood. That's what controlled people, and that's how he'd win. Kill them and be the ultimate force. They had to stop him.  
  
He heard the scream and slowly bolted into a run and ran inside. He saw Spike sprawled on the floor, Eric and Karen hovering over him. "Oh God, what happened?"  
  
"We don't know. He was fine, and then." Eric began on the verge of freaking. "We have to help him, I don't think he'll be able."  
  
"No, don't think that," Karen said trying to comfort him. "We're going to kill the fucker, and so help me God if he gets Spike I'll kill him for you." Chris was shocked by her outburst, not as shocked as Eric was though.  
  
Eric's panicky eyes looked up at Chris and said, "How do we."  
  
"I don't know. It was a bust. But I got other info. I know exactly what he wants to do. Come on, we don't have much time."  
  
"W-where are we going?"  
  
Chris looked at them seriously and said, "To take a nap." If it had been under any other circumstance, Eric would have laughed, but this wasn't any other circumstance. He stood and Karen right behind him, followed Chris. 


	6. Fate

A Nightmare on Elm Street: Harvest of Souls  
  
Chapter Five: Fate  
  
By: Fernando Rangel  
  
  
  
Spike quietly walked down the corridor of his home. Where is everyone? "Eric! Karen!" No answer. "This is definitely bad. I was just looking at them five minutes ago." He walked into his room and caught Eric and Karen in bed together.  
  
"What the fuck!" He pulled the covers off exposing them.their naked flesh wrapped around each other. "Eric?" He looked at him as if he were going to cry. Eric and Karen stood up; Spike watched as neither one of them exhibited any shame. "What did you expect Spike?"  
  
"I-I love you."  
  
Eric gave him a gentle smile giving Spike a bit of hope and suddenly Spike was crushed. Eric cackled at him with Karen joining in. "How sweet," he said. He turned to Karen and said, "The fruit loves me." He still laughed aloud.  
  
Tears leaked and trickled down his face. Eric grabbed Karen and kissed her passionately. He pulled away and said, "Such a dumb ass." He turned to Spike, "It's nice to know you love me," he smiled again and said, "but I don't love you. It was just a game. You're nothing to me. You're shit. You're no one. Non-important. I could care less if you died." Eric laughed again and turned back to Karen and Spike watched as they crawled back into bed. He slowly backed away shaking his head and said, "Bastard." His chin trembled and tears streamed down his face. "I still want you." Freddy said as he grabbed Spike's shoulders. Spike tensed and said, "Oh shit." Freddy smiled evilly as Spike whipped around slowly backing away.  
  
Freddy grabbed Spike and threw him down to the first floor. Spike landed with a hard thump. The pain crippled him for a few moments as he rocked side to side in pain. Slowly he got up, and held his back. He limped as he tried to escape. He trudged along to the door, but as it opened it led back inside. "This isn't good," he said. Suddenly Freddy grabbed him and threw him to the wall.  
  
Spike sat back up, and coughed up blood. "Bad.I'm in a lot of trouble." He coughed a little more, and blood still came. His body trembled; he wasn't going to make it. Freddy edged closer, "Where are all your friends? Guess they weren't as good of friends as you thought. Just like you were wrong about your little boy toy." He chuckled as Spike's head bowed. He stood up and front kicked him. "This is my dream." Spike kicked him despite the pain he felt in his body-he wasn't dying. He sent a punch to Freddy's jaw but Freddy grabbed the arm and broke it in many places. Spike cried out in pain.  
  
Freddy kicked him in the stomach, and punched his face, and then slashed him. Spike flipped on to his stomach from the punch, and touched his face as his hand trembled with fear. Suddenly Freddy drove the glove home into his chest, breaking the ribcage, stabbing Spike in the heart. His eyes bulged and teared.  
  
As Freddy lifted his hand to drive the glove home, the door had bursted open, and as Freddy slammed the glove in his chest Eric, Karen, and Chris exploded in. Eric's eye swelled as he watched Spike's eyes tear. He and Chris ran up to them and Chris managed to push Freddy away. Eric caught Spike as he collapsed onto the floor in his arms. Eric rocked him back and forth and said, "You'll be OK, stay with us. Come on, I need you, please don't go." Tears streamed down his face and watched as Spike's chest slowly heaved up and down, preparing for when it would stop. He turned and placed his bloody hand on Eric's face. "I knew you'd come." He smiled and Eric painfully smiled and said, "Always." Spike's eyes closed and he said, "I," he took one final breath and uttered, "love you." His hand slid down to his side, his body went limp, and his head went to the side. "Spike? SPIKE!!" He hugged Spike tighter, cradling him, rocking him back and forth again. "No." Chris said as he watched this, "no," was all he could say. Karen wrapped her arms around Chris and they all cried together. *I'll get him, I swear. * Eric said in a sort of prayer and promise to Spike.  
  
* * * * *  
  
The three teens cautiously walked through the long corridors of the strange house. The walls were dark, and damp, permeated with mold. They shivered with the cold breeze of death on their backs, keeping alert for any sign of their little boogieman. So far, he was keeping his distance.  
  
"Keep together, strength in numbers is the way to go.I think."  
  
"Yea," Eric said as Karen held on tightly to Chris.  
  
"So what was the info you got from Deep Throat?"  
  
"Oh.he's harvesting souls, he wants to "go global" so to speak. Remember how he first did this just for revenge, how they took his life, and took his daughter away, that was just an excuse for the real thing. Fred Krueger never had a soul. He was a black void, son of a hundred maniacs. Pain loving, murder loving, fuck. He did many of it because of power, and now he's had a taste of almost limitless power, he wants more. He's stuck in Springwood, he's stuck in Elm Street, our little Jack wants out of his box."  
  
Total darkness filled the room, Chris couldn't see his own hand in front of his face. "You guys, can you see anything?" The was a long silence, "You guys?" He could hear chuckling in the background. A chuckle that could freeze his blood. Freddy was here.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Karen fell through a hole and landed on her feet. She shot up and looked around. Where was she now? "Oh God, please help me." She spun around, sand as far as the eye could see. No one was around it was as thought she were the only one there, and soon she felt the searing sun. Thirst overwhelmed her. "This is a really crappy nightmare." She said surprised.  
  
Freddy stood next to a palm tree with sunglasses on, and a thermometer in his gloved hand. "Says you," he chuckled. She backed away as he pushed a lever up on the thermometer, and she could feel her body growing hotter. The pain shot out even more pain, and she fell back, screaming in pain. She convulsed and cried out as she watched her skin boil, and suddenly she went limp, as her skin, and tissues, and nerves and organs liquefied into nothing but steam.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Chris! Karen! Where are you?" Eric shouted, trying not to become crippled with fear. He jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder, "You seen Karen?"  
  
"Chris!" He hugged the guy. He pulled away, "I just.I just thought I was alone for a minute."  
  
"You, I know the feeling, don't worry, we'll get out of this, we have to." He looked around his voice cracked a bit, "But I don't think Karen's here anymore."  
  
"You think she woke up?" He asked with a bit of hope. Chris gave him a quiet stare. "Oh." They walked down the corridors. From all over the room they heard a booming voice, "You know it amazes me, how you kids keep coming, and inventing ways to kill me. But you three. You three just come in, no plan, nothing." Freddy fell from the ceiling landing on his feet, in a crouching position.  
  
The room was big, dark and dank; just like the rest of the house. The walls were full of maroon, aged maroon satin curtains. Chairs riddled the room, and paintings by Rembrandt and all the greats hung on the walls.  
  
"What have you done with Karen!" Eric shouted.  
  
"I don't see why you should care? Aren't you more upset about your little boyfriend?" Freddy suddenly materialized behind them. "You didn't even love the girl. Both of you." He pushed them to the ground, and they slowly back away as he headed towards them. "Funny thing about dreams, there's one thing that people always get right. Dreams are gateways to the soul. Eyes are windows, but the mind, that's the kicker." Eric jumped up, and ran for him. "Eric no!" Chris shouted. It happened so slowly, he watched as Freddy readied for the attack, and he saw Eric jump, the background getting brighter and brighter. Soon there was a blast of bright white light, and he wasn't in Kansas anymore.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Freddy held Eric up close to his face, "Chris was right about one thing, on a basic level," he chuckled, "this was about revenge, but the root of it. It was all about power." Freddy chugged Eric to the wall, landing hard. Eric coughed up some blood, "Oh shit."  
  
"That's right. Oh shit." Freddy laughed. He grabbed Eric's hair, and held his glove in the air, and pulled it back, "Have a nice sleep.forevermore." He began to start ramming the glove into Eric.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"It's time Chris."  
  
"For what?" He stood in a bright white room, he turned but he could see nothing. He didn't know who he was talking to. He was tired, alone; always alone.  
  
"It's time Freddy died."  
  
"You think?"  
  
The voice chuckled. "We've chosen well, you are a spirited one."  
  
"What are you talking about!"  
  
"Freddy can only die by the hand of his own blood, flesh of his flesh in the Dreamscape."  
  
"Me."  
  
"You. But also.there had to be a spirit; a sense of right. We thought your brother had been the one; we were wrong. He wasn't strong enough. But you are."  
  
"Ben? No, no you're wrong, Ben was so much stronger than I was; he's stronger than I would ever be."  
  
"No, because had never faced him before."  
  
"Who?"  
  
"Freddy."  
  
"What about me huh? I didn't even know the guy existed!"  
  
"You're wrong. There was a combination we need to defeat him, and you are the incarnation of it."  
  
"What?"  
  
"They mean me; from your subconscious, we have faced Freddy before, and we've won." He turned, the first person he'd seen. She was not that tall, she had brown wavy hair, with a gray streak. She wore a pink sweater, an old pink sweater with bloodstains. "Who are you?"  
  
"I'm you." She smiled a bit, "At least an old version of you. Personally, I like you better. I was weak."  
  
"Why are you telling me this, I am not the strong one."  
  
"Yes you are. You're much stronger than any of the survivors, much stronger than I, much stronger than Freddy; we can stop him."  
  
He fell to his knees, "I can't."  
  
"You can't give up kid." He looked up in horror, "Ben?" His voice was trembling, "Who? Krueger if this is some kind of."  
  
"No trick kid, it's me, I can't stay; he'll know I'm here helping. You can do it, I believe in you. You are stronger, you can beat him. I couldn't, but I know you can. Save your friends."  
  
"They're all dead, I'm alone."  
  
"No you're not. One is still here, don't lose him. You have to kill Freddy to set us all free."  
  
Nancy kneeled down, "Who are you?" Chris looked at the girl in amazement.  
  
"My name is Nancy, I'm you. The."  
  
"The first survivor." She nodded her head, "We've come a long way kid, I've watched, and waited; you're ready. We can stop him."  
  
"His first humiliator, and his kin, it's an unstoppable force, something we over looked; together you can."  
  
"How?"  
  
"I have the power, you have the strength. Accept this part of you; your added strength. The strength that you've always had, and we can beat him."  
  
"But."  
  
"You'll know. Do you trust me?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Do you trust yourself."  
  
He thought for a moment, "If you don't trust yourself, then this will all be for nothing, case closed, here ends the story and we all stay here, and Freddy wins. He gets you, and no one sleeps." Chris snapped, "I'm ready." Something inside him told him this was it; that this was what he should be doing, this was who he was. He looked into Nancy's eyes and stared into his eyes.  
  
"I'm ready. Let's send the fucker to hell."  
  
She smiled, "Alright then." She cupped his face, "Be ready." She leaned over and kissed him and they both began glowing a bright white and blue light that soon filled the room.  
  
* * * * *  
  
  
  
And with a gust of wind, and a flash of light he was back in the satin room, he looked about a bit, as if he didn't know if he was still there or not. Once he saw Freddy beginning to drive his hand down on to Eric he snapped out of it. "No!" Suddenly he was sent flying, knocking him out of the way. Freddy fell flat on his face.  
  
"Wh-hat took you so long?"  
  
Chris rolled his eyes, "Now is not the time to joke, it's time for you to wake up." And with a snap of his fingers, Eric faded away. He stood up, "Now let's end this."  
  
* * * * *  
  
He woke up rapidly at the snap. He shot up, and looked around, he was definitely in his room; he pinched himself just to make sure. How had Chris done that? He looked at his clock; it was almost midnight. Suddenly he heard the phone ring, and his parents crying. He jolted downstairs.  
  
* * * * *  
  
They circled around each other. "How did you." Freddy began cautiously. "Same as you, it's cool having this power, you can do anything.' Suddenly a sword appeared in his hand. "It's like playing a V.R. game." And as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared. Suddenly he was gone, and Freddy circled around. "There's not enough for the both of us," he began.  
  
"I know." Chris said from behind Freddy, kicking him to the wall. "Guess who's the keeper."  
  
Freddy sneered, "You just acquired this new power, I've had it for a long time."  
  
"And you've grown tired, and a little knife happy. Let's face it, grandpa, none of this is ever going to let you out. You're stuck. Even if you kill the entire world, you're going nowhere, in fact, you die. No one to kill, no one to maim." Chris grinned at him, "And where would your fun be?"  
  
Quickly Freddy lifted off, charging at Chris, back handing him, and then sending him into a glass wall. The shards fell everywhere, slicing Chris's skin. He fell limp, and Freddy grinned, walking closer to him. "I guess you've been unplugged." He stood up again, and suddenly a roar came from under him, and he was knocked onto his back. Chris stood up, not a scratch on him. He chuckled, "Neat trick."  
  
"But y-you're."  
  
"Dead? No, it's just an illusion."  
  
He sneered, "I tire of this. You want power," his voice began booming, "I'll show you power!" He slowly grew taller, and bigger. His clothes ripped, and his legs twisted. His skull contorted, and he took a true shape, the shape his mind had always been, a demon, his clawed glove grew larger, and the knives sharper and longer, and sleeker.  
  
"Whoa." Was all Chris could say. I think I'm in trouble.  
  
* * * * *  
  
"Mom, Dad, what's wrong?"  
  
"Eric honey, it's your friends, they're terribly."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Karen was found dead in her room."  
  
He gave them a long mournful look, "Karen?"  
  
I have to go, it's just Chris and I; Freddy got Spike, John, Jen, he can't get Chris. He's all I got left, and I owe him. I have to wake him up. He turned back and headed to the front door. "Eric honey where are you going? You can't go to Karen's the police are there, you won't be able to."  
  
"You're not going to go see that Spike fellow are you? I've already told you, you are never going to see him again."  
  
Eric gritted his teeth, "I'm going to check on a friend." He closed his eyes for a few seconds as he fought back tears, he indeed was never going to see Spike again.  
  
"Its awfully late sweetie," but he shut her up with the slam of the door.  
  
* * * * *  
  
Freddy slammed his foot in Chris's stomach. Chris slammed into the wall, this time he couldn't get up, "Shit," he wiped his mouth. This was definitely bad. Why didn't they tell me about this? "What's the matter Chris?" He grabbed Chris with his gloved hand by the neck. He tightened his hold, "No more glib boy?" Suddenly Chris was suffocating. He closed his eyes. When all of a sudden, strangely flashes of Spike, Karen, Jen, John, and Ben flooded his mind. Memories, things he saw from their lives. He opened them, and saw on Freddy's chest were their face. His eyes teared, and his chin trembled. Freddy had their souls, and he could now see their memories, feel what they were feeling. And it was fear. He sobbed, fear for him. He let out a scream, and suddenly a blast erupted from Chris, knocking Freddy down, and reverting him back to his old familiar burned appearance. He staggered to get up. "You let them out."  
  
Freddy laughed, "They're my souls. Once I have yours, no one sleeps!"  
  
"Well, there's a faulty in your plan."  
  
"Oh really, what's that?"  
  
"You're not going to kill me."  
  
"There's that old glibness."  
  
He took a breathe, "What can I say, it runs in the family." Suddenly Chris high kicked Freddy, sending him flying into the wall. Freddy got back up, and he flew over to Chris and pinned him to the ceiling. "You stupid son of a bitch, don't you get it? This is my world, this is my domain. I win, always win. You can't win this." He punched Chris hard, repeatedly. Suddenly Chris caught his arm. "Until now." He rolled over, and then pinned Freddy face down on the ceiling, and broke his arm. Freddy let out an agonizing yell of pain. Silently Chris whispered into his ear, "How do you expect to win, when you don't have your weapon of destruction." Suddenly Chris flipped down to the ground, landing on his feet. He slowly walked over to the glove Freddy had completely forgot he glove was missing, and with a thud, landing on his stomach Freddy landed on the floor. He inched to get his glove, but Chris picked it up first.  
  
"Go ahead put it on, get a feel for it." He huffed.  
  
"Y'know you're starting to repeat yourself over and over. If it didn't work for Great Grandma," he kicked Freddy in the head, "What makes you think, it'll work for me?" Freddy huffed and stood up, "You don't know how to use it."  
  
"Sure I do. You put it on," he slowly slipped it on to his hand, and flicked it. "Then you stab your victim with it." Suddenly the glove began to glow a bright blue with power that neither of them knew where it came from. "Does it usually do this?" He said smiling, as Freddy slowly backed away. "I've got a higher power guiding me."  
  
Chris and Freddy were face-to-face, "What makes you think that it'll work? Because you were Nancy? Because you're flesh of my flesh."  
  
"Because I believe." He slashed Freddy face, and he was sent to the floor. He grabbed Freddy again, and rammed the knives that had grown sleeker, and sharper now in Chris's hand. "Belief is the most powerful thing in the world, and you're time is up."  
  
Freddy grabbed Chris's shirt collar, "My time maybe over," he chuckled and grinned, "but it was still fun."  
  
"It's time for an oldie," Chris dug his arm in a little more and Freddy grunted, and suddenly Chris's arm spun and sliced Freddy's insides like a mixer set on Frappe. Freddy yelled in pain, he cried out to a God that Chris knew wouldn't listen. And with an explosion, Chris was knocked back.  
  
He watched as the glove slid off his hand slowly, and watched as Freddy screamed out, and he watched as a flow of blue white light swirled around him and around Chris.  
  
He could hear the giggling of children, he could hear the laughter of teens that never got to reach adulthood. And like quiet whispers, he could hear silent Thank Yous. Whether they could invade his mind, or if he actually heard them he had no idea.  
  
And slowly, he dropped to his knees at a sight that brought him to tears.  
  
He smiled as he saw Spike, Jen, John, and Karen waving to him, huddled in a group, mouthing Thank You. Slowly they drifted away into the Dreamscape sky, but not before a spirit came to Chris, "You did good kid." Chris wanted to hug him, he wanted to say "Don't go, please don't go!" But he knew the truth, and smiled, "I learned from the best." He watched Ben leave, and saw Karen wait a bit, floating above, "You better go," he began.  
  
"They can wait." He laughed, as much as he could, and said, "What?'  
  
"I'm sorry we didn't get the chance."  
  
"I know, I'm sorry too. I'm pretty sure you might've been the one." And through the glint of her soul he saw a familiar face, a face that had always lived across the street, Ken, "Yea I'm pretty sure we were probably meant to be." She smiled and floated away, the bright light gone, and the room was empty except for Freddy's corpse.  
  
Chris walked over to it, just skin.  
  
Suddenly the floor trembled and began to crack, he could hear a familiar scream, and he jumped out of the way. And he watched as justice was really taken in hand. He watched as Freddy's soul was brought down to Hell with demons grabbing hold of his soul, and the fiery depths exploding with "welcoming" fire. He could hear the souls of the damned crying out. And he couldn't help but smile as the ground closed up, "Rest in Hell. For Good."  
  
* * * * *  
  
Chris woke up, and slowly sat up, smiling for the first time from a dream. He sighed, and closed his eyes in sorrow for his lost friends, but at least he knew they were ok, that they weren't suffering. He heard a commotion downstairs, and he threw the blankets off of him, and he opened the door.  
  
"No you don't understand, I have to see him, there's something wrong."  
  
"I'm sorry son, but you have to come back tomorrow, it's very late," Guillermo replied. Chris came downstairs, "Dad it's ok."  
  
"Oh God Chris, you ok?" Eric couldn't help but hug him a little, and quickly let go, "Sorry," he whispered. Chris gave him a strange look, Why'd he say sorry? "It's over."  
  
"Good, for a while there I thought I was the only one."  
  
"No, we are alone. We're the last." Chris looked away, and Eric slid down to the floor.  
  
"What's this about son?" Guillermo asked looking at the two as if they were lunatics.  
  
Chris took a breath, "A nightmare."  
  
* * * * *  
  
The sky was an awful shade of bright baby blue. The dismal cemetery was bright, and the grass was an awful shade of green. Chris and Eric sat next to each other while the priest performed the eulogy for their friends. Spike and Karen, all along some familiar gravestones. Nancy Thompson, Alice, Kincaid, Kristin, the Elm Street survivors.  
  
"May God have mercy on their souls."  
  
* * * * *  
  
He stared at his grave.her grave.he wasn't sure anymore, but he knew she was inside him, and it was because of her that he was able to free them, and it was because of her that he was able to beat Freddy, and it was because of her he was able to wake up Eric. He would always be thankful. He smiled a bit, and touched Karen and Spike's grave. "Chris!" He turned around, "You wanted to talk to me?" He stared at Eric, "There's something I want you to do with me."  
  
* * * * *  
  
They walked up to a steel can, and stuffed paper in it. Chris turned around, "You sure about this Chris?" Chris nodded. He looked at the big factory boiler room, "This use to be his place." Eric splashed some gasoline on the paper, and in the steel can. "You're such a drama queen."  
  
"And you're a Queen," Chris replied jokingly, and Eric laughed, "That I am."  
  
"Now what?"  
  
"Now we say good bye." He pulled out something wrapped in cloth. "What's that?" He unwrapped it, "Holy shit Chris where'd you get that?"  
  
"I brought it out of my dream." He held Freddy's glove. "Did a lot of bad, killed a lot of people. Generations.literally." He looked at Eric and passed it to him, "Hell no bitch, he was your grandpa." He smirked, "Of course it should be me." He looked down at it, and chucked it in. "Good riddance."  
  
Suddenly the flames rose, and Eric and Chris huddled next to each other as the night began to fall, and they could hear the crinkling of leather, and watched as the metal turned a bright red. "Want to get some ribs?" Chris offered.  
  
"You paying?"  
  
"Sure."  
  
"Then lets get ribs."  
  
They turned back and headed toward Eric's car, the blue sky turning different shades of purple and different shades of orange.  
  
The sun hung oppressively low, like the clouds as if to foreshadow something. A hard future maybe.but Chris smiled anyway, if it were some bad sign of something to happen in the future, the point was there was a future. He turned back as they walked, and stared at the fire one last time, quickly he saw Freddy's face, standing in all his unholy glory laughing, with his glove on, and he could hear the cackle, but Chris quickly closed his eyes, and when he opened them, nothing was there, and he slowly walked into the car. 


End file.
